1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 56: Ice Beneath Circhester

The last stretch of Steamdrift Way lifted us toward Circhester through falling snow and warm steam curling from cracks in the earth. After the MCR Freight job, the cold did not feel like an enemy anymore, but it still demanded attention with every step.

The road narrowed near a patch of snowy grass where steam drifted low across the ground. Pikachu's ears twitched before I saw the tiny white shape clinging beneath the frosted blades.

I slowed and lifted one hand. "Everyone, hold up a moment."

Snom peeked out from the grass, its little body nearly disappearing against the snow. It edged toward the warmth from our wrapped camp supplies, then froze when Darumaka rolled too close and puffed cold air across the path.

Darumaka stopped when Alice caught its Poké Ball in her hand. "Not every small thing wants your kind of game."

Snom trembled, but it did not run. Alice knelt first, holding a warm cloth near the ground without pushing it closer. I crouched beside her and kept my voice soft.

"You can come closer if you want. No one is chasing you."

Snom crept forward in tiny movements, drawn by warmth but still watching every boot, tail, and shadow. Pikachu hopped down beside the supplies and sat very still, making himself smaller than usual.

Pikachu lowered his ears and placed one paw on the cloth, "Warmth waits better when it does not grab."

"That is right," I said softly.

Snom reached the cloth, rested against the edge, and finally looked up at us without hiding. I set a Poké Ball beside the warmth rather than throwing it. Snom touched it after a long quiet moment.

The ball opened, rocked gently, and clicked.

Alice picked it up with both hands. "Welcome, Snom. We will keep the warmth gentle."

Pokédex Entry Updated — Ash and Alice's Shared Galar Record

Snom, the Worm Pokémon. Ice and Bug type. It eats snow that has accumulated on the ground, and the more snow it eats, the bigger and more impressive the spikes on its back grow.

A little higher up the road, Darumaka grew restless again. It rolled circles around my boots, then stopped beside my bag as if it had smelled something through the snow.

I remembered the Ice Stone we had received from the Digging Duo in Bridge Field. We had carried it carefully, waiting for the right place instead of treating evolution like an errand. Steamdrift Way's cold pressed around us now, and Darumaka stared at the bag with bright, serious eyes.

"You know what is in there?" I asked.

Darumaka puffed cold air and rolled once toward the snowy rise ahead. Its earlier playfulness had not vanished, but something heavier sat beneath it, like the snowstorm had given its energy a deeper shape.

Alice took out the Ice Stone and held it low. "Only if you want it."

Darumaka nudged the stone with its forehead. Blue-white light spread through its round body, and the snow under it burst outward in a ring. Its shape grew larger, stronger, and fiercer, until Galarian Darmanitan stood in the road with its snowball-like head lowered against the wind.

Darmanitan slammed one heavy hand into the snow, then looked back at us with a grin that still carried the same playful spark.

Pikachu leaned against my boot, tail twitching, "The game became heavier, but it is still our friend."

"That is the best kind of evolution," I said.

Pokédex Entry Updated — Ash and Alice's Shared Galar Record