Snover happily sipped the warm soup Ash had prepared.
Meanwhile, Ash and the others were handed small snowballs by Snover.
"Wow, this is so good!"
"It's icy-cold and sweet—just like frozen candy!"
"Thank you, Snover!"
Ash, Dawn, and Anabel all expressed their gratitude to the little Pokémon.
And Snover, in return, was clearly thankful for the soup—it kept peeking into the pot with its tiny eyes.
Judging by the look in its eyes, one bowl definitely wasn't enough.
"Alright, everyone gets one bowl first. If you want more, feel free to help yourself later."
With that, the group began eating. Anabel also prepared a proper Pokémon meal for Snover.
"Here you go, Snover. You've been living all alone on this mountain—must get pretty lonely, huh? I understand. My Metagross, back when it was just a Beldum, used to be like that too. But then it joined me on my journey. Now we're partners."
Anabel looked at Snover with gentle warmth.
She'd clearly taken a liking to the adorable little guy.
Snover could sense the kindness radiating from her. It affectionately rubbed its head against Anabel's arm.
"Ash, is Anabel thinking about catching Snover?" Dawn whispered across the table.
"Probably," Ash replied. "This little one's got a good temperament. Just now, it even offered me one of its snowballs. But it's not just any snowball—Snover is a rare Pokémon that can grow edible fruit on its body. Those little snowballs are actually its fruit, and they're super sweet and tasty."
Snover is a dual Grass/Ice-type.
Because of its Ice-type traits, the fruit it grows has a crystal-like, icy texture—refreshingly cold.
Lunch continued in a cheerful atmosphere.
After the meal, Snover still hadn't left.
Instead, Grotle walked up to the group.
"Hey, look!" Dawn pointed excitedly. "Grotle's trees are growing fruit too!"
Sure enough, on Grotle's back, several fruits had sprouted among the bushes.
Having tasted Snover's fruit earlier, Dawn was excited to try Grotle's.
"Grotle, may I try one?" she asked sweetly.
"Grotle-grotle!" the Pokémon responded energetically.
Dawn and Piplup picked one of the fruits eagerly.
Dawn took a bite—and her face twisted slightly.
"It's kinda... bitter."
But Piplup looked like it was thoroughly enjoying it.
"Looks like Grotle's fruit is more suited for Pokémon taste buds," Ash chuckled, giving Grotle a pat on the head.
"Grotle-grotle!" it replied happily.
Suddenly, it stomped both front legs into the ground—and from its feet, sharp energy claws extended, long and fierce.
"A new move—Rock Climb!" Ash grinned. "Nice job, Grotle!"
He understood immediately what Grotle was trying to show him.
And in its joy, Grotle also picked the fruit from its back and shared it with the group.
Snover got to enjoy some too.
Once everything was cleaned up, it was time to move on.
Anabel, who had clearly grown fond of the little Snow Pokémon, gently crouched in front of it.
"Snover, would you like to come with me?"
Snover nodded eagerly—and even pulled more of its crystal fruit from its body to share again.
And just like that, on a nameless snowy mountain trail, Anabel successfully caught this adorable Snover.
The trio continued their journey once more.
Three days later—
Snowpoint City.
A city wrapped in endless snow, perpetually cold.
Before entering the city, Ash and his friends had picked up winter clothes from the previous town.
Well—just for Dawn and Anabel.
Ash didn't need them.
His physical condition now was so robust that he didn't feel even a hint of cold—not even on a snow-covered mountain. He had no problem enduring the extreme weather.
Before entering Snowpoint, Dawn had already contacted Zoey.
Zoey was from Snowpoint City, after all.
She also happened to be upperclassmen to Candice, the Snowpoint Gym Leader.
Zoey was aiming to be a top Coordinating Trainer, while Candice's dream was to become a Champion-level battler.
Nowadays, Candice served as the Snowpoint Gym Leader.
Zoey, on the other hand, had begun making her mark on the Pokémon Contest scene.
When Ash and the group arrived at the city gates, Zoey was already waiting.
"Ash… are you seriously walking around in a T-SHIRT?! This is Snowpoint! The average temperature is like -5°C to -15°C!"
Zoey stared at him in disbelief.
"Come on! Let's go buy you a winter coat. Don't try to act tough!"
She thought he was just trying to put on a brave face.
Only after Dawn and Anabel explained did Zoey reluctantly accept this outrageous fact about Ash's new physique.
His constitution was honestly a little too incredible…
"Well, whatever. Let's eat first, then I'll take you to tour the Snowpoint Pokémon Trainer Academy. My senior—Candice—is actually teaching there now."
Zoey treated them to a delicious local Snowpoint specialty meal.
Afterward, they headed straight to the Pokémon Trainer Academy.
"Zoey! Over here!"
A lively voice called out at the front gate.
It was Candice, who had been waiting.
"Hi, I'm Candice! Oh, I already know you—you must be Dawn! And you're Anabel, one of the Battle Frontier Brains from Kanto! So cool! And you—you're the crazy guy walking around in a short-sleeve shirt in Snowpoint. You're a first!"
She greeted everyone like they were old friends. But when she mentioned the Gym, her face turned a little awkward.
"Thing is, if you were planning on challenging the Snowpoint Gym today… it might be tricky."
She gave a sheepish smile.
"Because right now, I'm also a teacher here at the Pokémon Academy. Come on in—I'll show you around!"
Inside, the academy was filled with young trainers who hadn't set out on their journeys yet, and a few special course students.
The special students were former trainers whose journeys were cut short by various life circumstances. Now, they were finally getting a second chance—but had to relearn everything from scratch.
A lot of them were adults—uncle- and auntie-aged folks relearning basic Pokémon knowledge.
"Ash, you've already got six Gym Badges, right? That means you've got some serious skills. How about giving a guest lecture to inspire the students?" Candice grinned, flashing two playful tiger teeth.
Knowing Ash wasn't too into teaching, Anabel quickly stepped in.
"I'll do it. Sounds fun. It's been a while since I've experienced the atmosphere of a place like this."
"Really? That's awesome—thank you so much, Anabel! Zoey, you're up too. Talk a bit about being a Coordinating Trainer, yeah?"
"Huh?! Me too?!"
Just then, the classroom bell rang.
Perfect timing. The four of them entered the Snowpoint Pokémon Academy—ready to share, to teach, and to inspire.
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T/N:
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