"This time it's even longer than the last!"
The moment she stepped off the plane, Diancie let out a loud groan of complaint. She had been muttering about it the entire flight.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Sorry for the trouble," Steven said with a quiet laugh.
He tilted his head back and looked up at the pale crystals drifting down from the sky.
"This is…"
"A special kind of weather," Cynthia finished, slipping her arm through Steven's from behind. "The snow blowing down from the peak of Mt. Coronet keeps this place cold all year round. Sometimes ice crystals fall along with it. We just happened to arrive at the right time."
Steven glanced at the bright smile on Cynthia's face and chuckled softly.
"Cynthia, you wanted to see the ice crystals from the very beginning, didn't you? That's the real reason you said we should come to Snowpoint City."
"Mhm!" Cynthia gave a small, playful nod.
All around them, the trees and rooftops of Snowpoint City were buried under thick layers of snow. As far as the eye could see, the city had become a world of pale silver and white. Steven reached out his hand and let an ice crystal land on his palm.
"No wonder Snowpoint City is called the 'Eastern City where Ice Flowers Shine'…" He turned slightly and raised an eyebrow. "By the way, Cynthia, why are you holding on so tight?"
Cynthia seemed to be pressing herself as close to him as possible.
"It's cold!" she said, a little grumpily.
Snowpoint City had snow throughout the entire year, and in winter the temperature dropped even lower than usual. Visitors from warmer regions always needed to layer up well before coming here — and even then, the chill had a way of getting through.
"Aren't you cold, Steven?"
Diancie rubbed her arms and tilted her head up at him with a curious look.
"Perhaps I just run warm," Steven replied with a light shrug. "Besides, you shouldn't be afraid of the cold either, should you?"
Diancie lifted her chin proudly. "Of course not! I'm only doing this to keep Cynthia company!"
"Right, right. Either way, let's get moving before Cynthia turns into an ice sculpture."
Steven chuckled, shrugged off his coat, and draped it over Cynthia's shoulders. It still held warmth from his body, and Cynthia felt the chill ease immediately. She looked at him — now wearing only a high-necked sweater — and asked,
"Aren't you cold?"
"It feels… maybe just a little cool?" Steven spread his hands with a helpless smile.
He wasn't entirely sure why the cold seemed to bother him so little. His best guess was the Viridian Power that circulated within him. As anyone familiar with it knew, using Viridian Power produced a gentle warmth throughout the body. Now that it flowed through him constantly, it seemed to be acting as a natural barrier against the cold.
Well. A new use he hadn't expected.
Inside the Snowpoint Hotel, Diancie pressed her face close to the window and stared out at the snow-covered streets below. It did not take long before the urge to run outside became too strong to ignore. She spun around to face Steven and Cynthia.
"When are we going out to play?"
"We just got to the room…" Steven said, smiling despite himself.
Cynthia had already changed out of her light blue trench coat and pulled on a black down jacket. Her golden hair fell loose around her shoulders as she tugged a black beanie down over her head.
"Done!" She reached over and plucked the Gengar beanie from Steven's head, replacing it with a matching black one just like hers. It pressed his silver-blue hair flat, leaving only his bangs peeking out from underneath.
"Let's go, let's go!" Diancie bounced near the door, barely able to stand still.
Steven glanced at her, then leaned down and quickly pressed a kiss to Cynthia's cheek.
"Thank you, Cynthia."
Warmth rushed to Cynthia's face at once. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
He should have done that at the airport. When her temperature rises, she doesn't feel the cold as much.
"You two can be lovey-dovey after I fall asleep tonight! Let's go already!"
Diancie had already flung the door open and was waving them forward with both arms.
"Alright, alright. Let's head out." Steven smiled and took Cynthia's hand as they stepped into the hallway.
The moment they were outside, Diancie spun around and asked where they should go.
Steven looked at her with an amused expression. "I thought you'd already figured that out, given how eager you were to leave."
"It's my first time seeing this much snow!" Diancie clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head side to side. "I got a little excited!"
"Then let's build a snowman!" Cynthia pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket and held them up cheerfully.
"A snowman?" Diancie blinked. "What's that?"
Steven shook his head with a quiet laugh, took Cynthia by the hand, and broke into a run toward a nearby park.
"You'll find out soon enough!"
"Wha — wait for me!"
Diancie stared after them for half a second before hopping quickly to catch up.
The park was lively for a winter afternoon. Couples walked side by side along the snow-dusted paths, and families laughed as their children stumbled through the snowdrifts. Steven paused beside a long bench and looked around — first at Cynthia beside him, then down at Diancie by his feet.
He always felt like he had both, somehow. Though the age of this particular "child" was anyone's guess.
"Those are snowmen," he said, pointing across the park.
Scattered throughout the open space were snowmen of all kinds. Some were simple and round, with carrots for noses. Others had been shaped into the likenesses of Piplup and Clefairy.
Though — wait. Was that an Abomasnow-shaped snowman over by the trees?
He squinted.
No. That was just an actual Abomasnow, standing completely still and covered in snow.
"I want to build one too!" Diancie cheered, throwing her hands up and diving headfirst into a nearby snowdrift. She immediately began scooping and packing snow with great enthusiasm.
"Speaking of building snowmen," Steven said, "allow me to introduce my—"
Cynthia opened her mouth, clearly about to ask whether he actually knew how to build one.
"—Pokémon!"
Bang! Bang!
Larvitar and Sandslash appeared in a flash.
Larvitar might not have the best sense of shape when it came to snowmen, but give it a pile of material and it would build something impressive — more likely a snow fortress than a snow figure.
"Larvi?"
Larvitar tilted its small head, bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, and promptly stuffed it into its mouth.
"Larvitar!"
It spat the snow back out immediately, shaking its head in clear disgust.
"I didn't ask you to eat it," Steven said, chuckling at the display.
"Come on, Larvitar. Build something with the snow."
"La…"
Larvitar plopped itself down on the snowdrift with a dull thud. It stared at the snow around it. What was the point of building something you couldn't eat?
"You little troublemaker…" Steven shook his head.
Larvitar had never cared much for building things. The only reason it ever bothered with sandcastles was because it enjoyed tasting the different kinds of sand. Snow, apparently, did not pass the taste test.
"Gupah?"
Sandslash leaned over and poked Larvitar gently in the back with one claw.
Why not use this as a chance to practice?
You might have a point. But there's nothing to eat when it's done.
Can't you just ask Master to give you food afterward?
…That's actually a great idea.
Larvitar slapped one small hand against the other with sudden clarity. Of course! If it built something well, Master would reward it with food. Why else would Master call it out here? Surely not just to show off a snow castle to strangers.
Steven watched as Sandslash and Larvitar exchanged what appeared to be a very serious whispered conversation — and he saw the exact moment Larvitar's attitude flipped completely. It launched itself into the snow with renewed energy and got to work at full speed.
Sandslash turned around and caught Steven's eye.
Something glinted in its gaze.
"Gupah!"
No need to thank me. Just… please don't send me up against any more terrifying opponents next time.
It wished it had more fingers so it could give Steven a proper thumbs-up. Its entire expression read: leave this sort of thing to me.
Steven looked at the industrious Larvitar, then at Sandslash, who had already turned away with the quiet satisfaction of someone who had just handled things perfectly.
"What is going on with those two?"
…