I can feel the warmth of my own breath as we approach the next town, which feels at least ten degrees colder than the route itself. Snow lies on the ground in some places, despite there being none on the route before us. The town itself is a quaint place, with a large windmill obscuring the stars that begin to rise over us as the sun goes down.

Most buildings are houses (rare for larger cities), most of which are shut tight, but I can see warm lighting in each window. The whole city seems to glow with light.

"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" I say, breathless.

Bronze has crossed his arms and his teeth are chattering. "It's really c-cold, that's about it."
"That was a terribly quick temperature change. Do you think there are some ice-types around here making it colder?" asks Pich, sitting on top of Chrona who looks thoroughly unamused.

"It's not real snow." Nephthys says quietly.

"Well, how would you know that?" snaps Rune. I feel the sudden urge to slap him. He still hasn't gotten over Gaile, even months later.

Nephthys says quietly, "The snowflakes are all exactly the same. It's artificial snow, possibly from a Hail attack or the ability Snow Warning."

"Good call," says Ginger, quickly stepping up to defend his teammate. "Now we just have to figure out what's causing it."

"It's not like we can stop it. There's probably some reason behind it." Thistle says. He's walking with Shauna. Ever since they got reunited after the hotel incident, he hasn't let go of her once. Shauna looks decently happy for having a five foot tall ton of rodent with a shell with spikes sharp enough to gouge human flesh standing over her, though her cheeks are bright red. I can't tell if it's the sudden cold or what happened today that's making her blush.

"I say we find some way out of the cold." Shauna says.

Escargot and Luna agree quietly, and Faye, who has already assimilated into the team and is taking a seat on Escargot's tail, says, "I don't know, it's really nice out. Kind of romantic."
This sparks a flurry of conversation. Bronze quietly grabs my hand; Pich's wings flutter as Rune approaches her and lights a fire, only to begin complaining about the temperature; Ginger and Pacifica cuddle a little closer. I notice that those not in a relationship are standing a bit away, alienated, with the exception of Chrona, who is still hosting Pich on her flower. She cackles a bit as Rune continues. The three of them are a trio, whether romantically bonded or not. Chrona's accepted it and Rune and Pich are warming up to the idea of being team leaders (well, Rune was always bossy, but that's besides the point).

The snow falls a little faster and suddenly my Pokedex begins buzzing.

"Hello?" I say, picking it up.

"Wow Lilly, way to ruin the moment." jokes Shruikan.

"Hey, back off, teasing her is my job!" Rune says with a hint of malice.

"Shhh, I'm trying to talk on the 'dex!" I say.

Korrina's voice rings through the Pokedex. "Hey, where's Nico"

I look around but I can't see him anywhere. "He must've wandered off. Oh shoot, I really should go look for-"

"That's a rhetorical question, he's with me. I'm in the Hearthside restaurant. It's popular with the locals, Pokemon friendly, really nice eggnog."

I hold the Pokedex closer to my ear. "That's awesome! I'm guessing you'd like to talk again. I have a lot to tell you myself."
She coughs. "Actually, I have a surprise for you."

"So do I." I say, thinking about the electrical display I put on earlier with satisfaction. "So, how do we get to the restaurant?"

"That's the fun part. You're strong enough of a Goldeneye to sense your Pokemon's bonds, so come find us!" She hangs up with a very final beep.

I close the Pokedex, shaking my head.
"So?" Bronze says. "Restaurant?"
"Alright, alright. Pich? You're my eyes." I say, closing my own eyes and letting myself sink into her form.

I find myself looking down at my own body as Pich takes to the sky. With our combined vision, we can see the whole city as well as golden bonds stretching from ourself down to all the other Pokemon on the team, and even faint bonds stretching to Bronze and Shauna's team. With a cry of exhilaration, we soar down, knowing right away where Nico is. It's almost too easy. We land delicately on the sign over the restaurant, knocking off snow as we land and ruffling our feathers.

I return to my own form and tell the team, "This way." I guide them through the streets until I find it, and Pich soars into a warm and cheery room by my side. It's mainly older men and women in the bar with their Pokemon, some of whom look kinder than others. All the bar seats are taken (not a shock), but most of the seats near the edge are empty. I recognize Korrina's trademark bicycle helmet and Nico and Hazel next to her.

I sit down quietly, Bronze by my right, and Shauna sits down on the left. Most of the larger Pokemon realize immediately they can't fit and Escargot again speaks up, "Umm..."

Shauna regretfully withdraws her team, and I withdraw Chrona who rolls her eyes as she returns to her Pokeball. Bronze withdraws Pacifica and Ginger, and the rest of the Pokemon find some way to fit around our table, which is now bustling with life and crowded as it could be without breaking the whole thing.

"We ordered you some eggnog." Korrina says, passing me a cup. "I didn't realize you'd be bringing friends."

"You know eggnog is actually a very dangerous liquid, right? It's known as the liquid of insanity in some parts of Kalos." Rune says as I'm about to take a sip. I pass it to him.

"Whatever ploy you were going to use, I don't care, just have it." I say.

Rune sips eagerly and Bronze attracts a waiter and orders deep fried Oran berries for the whole table as well as another round of eggnog for everyone.

"So, what's the surprise?" I ask.
"I was going to suggest we take action against Team Flare. Hazel and I have been tracking their activity in a nearby cavern, and we thought you... you three might want to help." Korrina says quietly.
"More like us fifteen. The whole team goes or we don't." Bronze says sternly.

"Not a problem."

"So, my surprise... I finally used my powers! Just today, actually. We were at this abandoned hotel and one of my Pokemon went crazy, and we got cornered by him-"
"You what?" Korrina asks, sounding shocked.

"The Tyrantrum is angry." Hazel explains, one ear flicking. "I can feel it's anger from here. It is most unpleasant."

"We've tried to pacify it." Nico says, "I fear the loss has done too much to Crypt. He's very timid. His aura has always been a thin layer of fragile calmness suppressing bestial nature."

"Ah." Korrina sounds very solemn about this. "The same thing happened to one of my Machamps about three years ago, when I was thirteen. Of course, mine wasn't a fossil Pokemon so he was much easier to calm, but it was also triggered by a party loss. The difference was that I could stare my Machamp down, dangerous as it was. Doing that with a Tyrantrum would be very dangerous to say the least."

"Yeah, it kind of was." Shauna sighs. "We almost got killed."
The waiter drops by with our Oran Berries and then begins serving the eggnog.

"It wasn't that bad. We're all out in one piece, aren't we?" I say, trying to sound optimistic.

Most of the team grumbles in consent, unimpressed. Rune in particular chugs his eggnog a little faster, best as he can do that with his canine jaws.

"So I was cornered in the hall, and I just got really angry at Crypt for doing this. I remember feeling like my whole body was on fire, and for lack of a better word, I exploded. Lightning bolts flew everywhere and the hotel roared to life, breaking all the lightbulbs in the hallway." I finish.

Korrina laughs. "That's one way to do it."

"What?" I ask.

"It's honestly not that funny." Rune says defensively.

"Oh, it's just a lot like mine. I was running from a Aggron- long story- and I used Aura Sphere and knocked a tree over on top of it."
"Did you get away?" Shauna asks.

"Yes, but the tree only made it angry. If Hazel and Nico hadn't evolved to protect me, I would be dead." She says thoughtfully. "I was a terrible child."

"How old were you?" Shruikan asks, astonished.

"Eight." Korrina admits to the shock of most of the table. "Anyways, we should really get back on track. For your Tyrantrum, get a new party member in for the time being and let him cool down. He needs to come to terms with it by himself, and unfortunately helping him would be nigh impossible at his size. I'm going to go check out the Frost Cavern tomorrow at around nine for Team Flare. If you want to kick their ass and find out more about what Goldeneyes are and aren't, you should come. After all, Lilly, you and I both know what he is." Her eyes narrow.

"Right." I say.

"Is the guy a Goldeneye too?" Bronze asks. "I'm beginning to think the region had an infestation before we showed up."

"What do you mean?"

"There's you, there's the leader of Team Flare, and there's-"
"Me." Shauna admits. "I'm a Floette."

"The Floette?" Korrina's eyes widen. Hazel's paws glow, encased in aura.

"Yes." Shauna says.

"It looks like you guys have a lot to tell me."

"Alright, I'll speak for myself. First, let me tell you about a man and his Pokemon, over a thousand years ago..."