Warming Hearts

A/N: Here we go with Chapter 4 of this story, where we meet a few more characters, most of them who may seem familiar. Roll it!

Chapter 4

Seeking Shelter

After finding Delia waiting at a small local restaurant, and having another nice and relaxing dinner that night, Ash and Pikachu soon followed her to the Pokémon Center, where they will spend their nights until they found a new and permanent place.

As they were preparing for bed, Delia spoke to her son. "Mimey and I will be leaving in the morning to meet some real estate agents. Just south of Lake Acuity."

"So soon, Mom?" Ash asked. "We just got here."

"I know, honey." Delia said. "But, we'll be back the following morning."

Ash smiled faintly. "All right. Just be careful. Okay?"

His mother placed a hand on his shoulder. "Always." She assured him.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she returned the gesture. Then, they went to sleep, or at least Delia and the Pokémon did.

Ash stared up at the ceiling, wondering now was he supposed to do while his mom looks for a house. True, there will be times when he could come along with her to examine some properties, but in his mind, checking out houses do sound a bit boring. Finally, after a few more minutes of staring at the plain ceiling above him, he finally fell asleep.

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The next morning, Delia had rented a jeep to meet the agents. She wrapped her yellow winter jacket against her, and she and her son shared another hug. "Remember, I'll be back tomorrow."

"I know." Ash said.

"How about you find something to do besides just staying in our room reading?" Delia poked his arm teasingly.

Ash rolled his eyes playfully. "I remember that my friend, the Snowpoint Gym Leader, Candice, teaches over at the Pokémon Trainer School when she's not at the Gym. I thought I might drop by and say hi."

"Nice idea, honey." Delia and Mr. Mime then got into the jeep and started the engine. "I love you, Ash."

Her only son waved to her as they started to drive away. "I love you too, Mom." Once they drove out of sight, after he stared at the horizon for a few extra moments, he and Pikachu headed towards the Pokémon Trainer School.

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Delia drove through the dark forest, with the moon shining above her. "I know I must've taken a wrong turn somewhere." She said as a light snow started to fall from the sky. She could see her breath condensing as she talked.

"Mr. Mime?" Her Mimey asked.

"Don't worry, Mimey." Delia assured her Mr. Mime. "We'll find a place soon. Then, we'll head back. Besides, we don't want Ash to worry."

"Mr. Mime!" He agreed in his language.

Suddenly, they both heard low growling that sent shivers down their spines. Delia stopped the jeep to scan the area. Glowing red eyes then appeared, pair by pair, circling the jeep. Mr. Mime clutched her arm as Delia re-started the engine. A pack of Mightyena then came out of the snowy forest and began chasing them, growling.

Delia saw a clear path up ahead and took it. She looked back and saw the Mightyena slowly stopping, growling warily. Whatever was up this path, they'd rather avoid it. Maybe something even more terrifying than them.

"Mime, mime!" Mr. Mime cried out.

Delia looked ahead and saw that they were about to crash into something. She pushed the brake and the jeep screeched to a halt. Catching their breaths, they saw that they almost crashed into a wood post...that was attached to a stable.

They looked around them and in front of them, they saw a huge dark castle with three enormous towers, and worn, torn, dark blue flags fluttered in the chilly breeze. The stable was near the main doors, and there was a hedge maze surrounding the back of the castle from what they could see.

Delia took a deep breath and got out of the jeep. "Maybe we can stay here for the night." She suggested. Reluctantly, Mr. Mime followed. There was something about this place that was getting to him.

She carefully knocked on the front door. There was no answer. She then gave the door a gentle push, and it slowly opened. Cautiously, she and Mr. Mime entered.

"Hello?" She called out. "Is anyone here? I'm sorry if we're intruding. But, my Mr. Mime and I are lost and need a place to stay."

There was some shuffling in the shadows, and then, a cute little Swinub appeared. It went up to Delia, smiling at her. The woman noticed that there was something different about this Swinub. The fur around its head seemed girlish, so Delia suspected that the Swinub is a female.

"Of course you're welcome here!" A feminine voice called out. Delia and Mr. Mime jumped back with yelps when they realized that the voice came from the Swinub.

"You can talk?!" She asked.

"You bet I can!" The Swinub exclaimed.

"Nice going, Leona!" Another voice cried out, this one sounding masculine.

A Prinplup came out of the shadows, glaring at the Swinub now named Leona. "If you-know-who finds out that she's here, we're going to get in so much trouble!" Delia saw that this Prinplup had dark brown eyes instead of aqua blue.

"Relax, Kenny." Leona said. "Look at them. They're freezing!" She scurried over to Delia and patted her ankle. "Follow us. We'll get you both warmed up, and maybe get you something warm to drink."

The Prinplup called Kenny sighed. "Fine." He complied. "But just keep it down."

Leona and Kenny led Delia and Mr. Mime to a lit room with a crackling fire in a fireplace. Leona added some more wood to the fire while Kenny offered to take Delia's jacket.

"Here." Leona gestured to a red velvet armchair. "Take a seat."

Delia sat down in the offered chair. "Thank you."

A Glameow then came into the room, carefully balancing a tea tray on its coiled tail. But, the strange thing about this Glameow was its eyes were ruby red instead of ocean blue. A cute little Bellossom was beside it, carrying a plate of cookies.

"Hello there." The Glameow greeted in a feminine voice. "I'm Zoey, and this is my little cousin, Mara Joan." The Glameow gestured over to the Bellossom. 

"Everyone calls me MJ." The little Grass type called Mara Joan beamed.

"Would you like something to drink?" Zoey asked the woman. 

"Yes, thank you." Delia took a cup and a cookie.

"I made the cookies myself!" MJ piped up with a cheerful grin. Delia smiled at the small Grass type. Her demeanor reminded her of Ash when he was around her age.

Suddenly, the doors were slammed open harshly, letting a huge gust of cold wind blow out the fire. Everyone started shaking with fear as a shadow came closer. Laine held onto Zoey, who was backing away into a corner.

"Uh-oh." She whispered.

Leona and Kenny slowly walked backward into another corner. "I told you this was a bad idea." The latter hissed to the former.

Delia and Mr. Mime turned around slowly, and they both screamed out loud when they saw the figure before them. If they could describe it in one word, it would be beastly.

"How did you find this place?!" A cruel feminine voice demanded from the figure. "And who are you?!"

"I-I'm sorry for intruding." Delia stammered in fright. "Me and my Mr. Mime, we got lost and then found this place."

"Because of trespassing, you will be punished!" A clawed hand grabbed Delia's arm and the figure began to drag her away, despite her pleas.

Mr. Mime was about to attack the monstrous figure with his psychic powers, but Delia stopped him. "No, Mimey!" She shouted as she soon vanished from his sight. "Go find him!"

Mr. Mime, with great reluctance, ran out of the castle and began his long trek back to Snowpoint City to get help. He was her only hope now.

A/N: I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter, even though it may seem a bit rushed. 

And Dawn's castle was partially inspired by the castle image above. I thought it looked pretty amazing. 

I'll see y'all in Chapter 5! Please leave a comment about what you think!

Got to fly! ;)