1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 66: Whiteout Appeal

The morning after Frost Cavern felt colder than it should have, as if the cave had followed us back to Dendemille and hidden its breath inside the windmills. We had rested, healed our Pokémon, and checked on Bergmite, who had already claimed a quiet corner near shiny Aurorus as if the ancient Ice-type was the safest mountain in the world.

Serena walked beside me with Eevee bundled in her arms, while Delphox kept one hand near her wand and watched the snow clouds gathering toward Route 17. The road ahead was known as Mamoswine Road, and after what the trainer had told us before Frost Cavern, I was glad the Mamoswine rides were working again.

Bonnie pointed toward the snowy route gate. "That must be where the Mamoswine help people cross."

Clemont adjusted his scarf and shivered. "Route 17 is covered in deep snow, and walking through it without help would be extremely difficult."

The same trainer from yesterday stood beside his Mamoswine near the gate. This time Mamoswine looked calmer, with its head held high and its tusks dusted in fresh snow.

The trainer waved when he saw us. "Thanks to you, Abomasnow is safe, and Mamoswine is ready to guide travelers again."

Mamoswine rumbled warmly, and its meaning reached me through the steady way it lowered itself for us. "The road is still harsh, but the snow is honest now."

I smiled and rested a hand against its fur. "Then we will trust you to lead us."

We divided ourselves carefully across the Mamoswine and our own Pokémon. Some of the larger partners stayed in their Poké Balls because the snow was too deep for everyone to travel freely, but Fletchinder insisted on flying above us, and Litleo stayed close to the front as if the cold had personally challenged him.

Litleo shook snow from his mane and glared at the white road ahead. His meaning was easy to understand. "I was born for warm ground, but I will not lose to this cold."

Serena laughed softly. "That sounds like Litleo."

The crossing began smoothly. Mamoswine broke through deep snow with powerful steps, and the route opened into wide white fields where the wind erased footprints almost as soon as they appeared. Snowbanks rose taller than fences, and distant trees looked like ghosts half-buried in frost.

As we prepared to mount again, I noticed how different our team looked from when we first entered Kalos. Fletchinder had once been a small Fletchling flying over early routes, and Litleo had once challenged us on warmer ground with a pride that still felt young. Tyrunt had come from a fossil lab, confused by a world that had changed without asking him. Now all three were walking into the harshest route we had faced since Frost Cavern, and each one seemed to understand that the next step was not only about reaching Anistar.

Serena seemed to notice my silence. "You are thinking about them."

I nodded while watching Litleo paw at the snow. "Kalos keeps asking them to grow in places they did not choose."

Serena looked at Fletchinder circling above us. "Maybe that is why it matters. They get to choose who they become when the place is difficult."

Those words stayed with me as the snowfall thickened ahead.

Then the weather changed without warning.

A whiteout swept across the road so suddenly that Mamoswine stopped mid-step. The world vanished behind moving snow, and the wind swallowed the sound of everyone's voices.

I tightened my grip on Pikachu. "Everyone, stay close."

The answer came as scattered voices instead of one group. I saw Clemont's outline, then Bonnie's, then nothing but white. Mamoswine shifted under us, trying to keep balance, but a sudden crack echoed from the snowbank to our right.