Of course it would take a pandemic and a stay-at-home order to get me to finally update this story.

Yeah, I hope none of you were holding me to my promise of updating within a year. This past year, I got a new job that required me to move all the way to Japan. Of course, moving to Japan brought its own distractions and I just didn't have the right mindset to work on this chapter.

But low and behold, suddenly some great ideas came to me, and well...here we are!

Enjoy!

"We should be coming up to Snowpoint City," Brock said. "Then, you can challenge the gym leader and earn your next badge!"

Brock was hoping for an excited response from Ash, but he heard nothing. He looked and saw both Ash and Pikachu with a sad look on their face looking down at the snow. Brock could see that a gym battle was the last thing on Ash's mind at the moment. "Still thinking about Dawn?" Brock asked, kindly.

"It just confuses me why she would suddenly take off without telling us," moaned Ash. "She didn't leave us a note or call us or anything!"

Pikachu let out a mournful sigh. "It's been so long since we last heard from her," worried Ash.

"Well, the good news is that somebody said she was in Browncliff Town," said Brock. "At least we know she's okay."

"Yeah, but a riot in a movie theater? I hope she wasn't caught up in that."

Brock then thought back to when they first discovered that Dawn was gone. They were staying at a Pokémon Center on the outskirts of Oreburgh City, on their way to Snowpoint City, when Ash discovered that Dawn's room was empty and that she had disappeared. They searched all over the Pokémon Center and checked up and down the route they were on. But Dawn was nowhere to be seen. Since then, they've had no luck finding her.

"You know, before she disappeared, she seemed really depressed about something," mentioned Brock. "You think she would tell us what's happening. Must be something really serious."

Just then, they saw two snowmen in the distance. As they got closer, it revealed two smaller snowmen standing beside them. "Hey, look!" Brock said, cheerfully. "Somebody made some snowmen."

He, Ash, and Pikachu moved in for a closer look. "This is a strange place to build a snowman," said Ash.

"It was probably some kids who were out on a walk passing through," said Brock.

Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder to inspect the smaller snowmen, which happened to look like two Pokémon. "Aww, that's cute," Brock said. "The snowmen are holding hands."

"But why does one of them look so angry?" asked Ash.

"Maybe things aren't working out?" joked Brock. "It happens."

Pikachu hopped onto the head of the snowman with the white scarf. "Be careful, Pikachu!" Ash said, worriedly. "Don't break the snowman."

With a curious mind, Pikachu grabbed onto one end and sniffed it. All of a sudden, he started jumping and waving his hands. "What is it, Pikachu?" Brock asked.

Pikachu grabbed the scarf and pointed at it. Ash and Brock weren't sure what was going on. "Is there something wrong with the scarf?" asked Ash.

Pikachu then handed Ash one end of the scarf. Ash examined the scarf carefully, but he still didn't know what was going on. "I don't get it, Pikachu. It's just a scarf."

Ash then looked down at the smaller snowman that was right beside the bigger snowman. He took a closer look and saw that it looked a lot like a Piplup. It then finally hit him. "Wait a second...I got it!" he cried out. "This is Dawn's scarf!"

"Huh?" Brock asked.

"This white scarf!" repeated Ash. "Dawn always wore a white scarf wherever she went."

But Brock wasn't convinced. "Are you sure that's hers?" he asked. "That could be anyone's scarf."

"It has to be hers!" said Ash. "Look! There's a snow Piplup right next to the snowman that had this scarf around its neck. It has to be her!"

Pikachu nodded his head in agreement. Brock could see the logic behind Ash and Pikachu's thinking, but he still had his doubts. "Well, if people saw her in Browncliff Town, it would make sense that she would pass by here," he said. "But then, if this is a Dawn snowman, then who's the other one supposed to be?"

"It doesn't matter," replied Ash. "We're right on her trail now! If we hurry, we might catch up to her!"

"Hold on, Ash," said Brock. "Let's slow down for a minute."

Ash, ignoring Brock's suggestion, turned to his Pikachu. "Come on, let's hurry and catch up to her!" he said, determinedly.

Without hesitation, Ash and Pikachu quickly took off down the road, leaving Brock behind. "Whoa! Ash! Wait for me!" he said.

Reluctantly, Brock quickly ran after them.

"Achoo!" sneezed Dawn. Her body then shivered. "It feels like we've been walking for ages," she complained. She rubbed her hands together, trying to stay warm.

"We shouldn't be far now," replied Paul.

"You said that yesterday too! I feel like we'll never get there."

Paul and Dawn had to spend the night sleeping in a tent outside with the snow blowing around them. While Paul managed to sleep just fine despite the weather, Dawn felt that she would be frozen solid by morning. She was more than ready to arrive at a town with a Pokémon Center and sleep in a warm, comfortable bed.

After trudging through the snow since the early morning, the two then saw something off in the distance. They could make out a town at the bottom of a mountain, with large red-roofed buildings lightly covered in snowdrifts. "Is that Snowpoint City?" Dawn asked.

"I think so," answered Paul. "The guide said it was at the bottom of a mountain and it looks like it does in the pictures."

"At last!" cried Dawn. "We finally made it!"

Dawn then hugged Paul. "Finally, I can have a warm bed and take a hot bath," Dawn said, relieved.

"Let's hurry and find the Pokémon Center," Paul said.

"Alright! Let's go!" she said, excitedly.

She then took off towards the town, leaving Paul behind. Reluctantly, he quickly chased after her. "Hold on, Dawn!" he said. "You don't even know where you're going!"

Paul and Dawn searched the city and quickly found the Pokémon Center in the center of town. The moment they walked in, Dawn sat down in a seat underneath a vent. "Ahh, it feels so good to be in heat for a change," Dawn sighed, as she felt the warmth coming from the heater.

Paul then took note of the small cafe in the corner of the lobby. "Hey Dawn, I'm going to get a hot chocolate. You want one?" he asked.

"Oh, yes please!" Dawn replied, happily. "With whipped cream!"

Paul walked over to the cafe, leaving Dawn by herself. Dawn placed her head back in her seat and closed her eyes, enjoying the heat for as long as she could before they would eventually go back out into the cold.

While she was resting, she thought about her friends, Ash and Brock. "I wonder what they're doing right now," she thought. "It's been about a week since I left them behind. I'm surprised they haven't tried to contact me...or my mom. Or maybe they did?"

Dawn then felt a bit uneasy. "Maybe I should call them or let them know what was happening," she thought. "But…why does thinking about it make me feel sick?"

"Dawn, is that you?" said a voice.

Dawn's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She turned around and was surprised to see her friend Zoey standing before her. "Oh hey, Zoey!" Dawn said. She then got up from her seat.

"Hey Dawn! It's been a while since I last saw you!" Zoey said. "How have you been?"

"I've been better!" replied Dawn. "We've been walking through the snow for several days. My face still feels cold."

Zoey laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty chilly outside," she said. "But then again, what do you expect from a town called Snowpoint City?"

"Well anyway, I didn't expect to see you here," said Dawn.

"Why not?" asked Zoey. "This is my hometown, after all."

"You live here?!" Dawn asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah...I guess I never told you."

Just then, the two were interrupted by Paul, who had a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. "Here, Dawn!" he said. "I got you some hot chocolate."

"Oh, thanks!" Dawn said, taking the cup from Paul. She was quick to take a sip.

Paul then noticed Zoey. "Oh! Hi," he said, rather awkwardly.

"Hi," replied Zoey.

"Who is this?" Paul asked Dawn. "Is she a coordinator friend of yours?"

"Oh right! You haven't met yet!" said Dawn. "Paul, this is my friend, Zoey! She's a coordinator like me."

Paul bowed down to Zoey. "It's nice to meet you," he said.

"Zoey, this is Paul," continued Dawn. "Paul is my…"

Dawn's voice trailed when the realization that she is introducing Paul as her boyfriend to someone who has never met him before. She immediately became self-conscious. "Uh...okay, so Paul is...a-a friend...that I've known for a while," she said, stuttering.

Paul raised his eyebrow. "A friend? That's it?" he asked, somewhat offended.

"Ahh! Well…" Dawn said, stammering. "Okay, he's more than that."

Dawn continued tripping over her words as her face turned red. "You know...Paul is...he's actually my...he's a good friend. Okay, more than a good friend. We didn't use to be friends, but then we were friends…"

Paul shook his head annoyed. "Dawn, what are you doing?" he asked. "Just tell her!"

"Tell me what?" asked Zoey.

"Hold on, Paul!" snapped Dawn. "I'm just trying to find the right words."

Paul quickly turned to Zoey. "I'm Dawn's boyfriend," he said.

Dawn gave out a small "eep."

For a moment, things were quiet between the three of them. Dawn waited anxiously for Zoey to say something about this new revelation about their relationship.

Zoey began laughing nervously. "Haha...sorry," she said, laughing. "I didn't mean to laugh. It's just...I thought I heard him say that you had a boyfriend."

"Yeah, you did," said Paul. "I am Dawn's boyfriend."

It took another moment for Zoey to process what she was being told. Dawn was dreading what Zoey would say.

Zoey jerked back in surprise. "W-What?! B-Boyfriend?" she asked, shocked. "Dawn, you have a boyfriend!"

"Yes, that's what I just told you," Paul said.

Zoey looked to Dawn. "Dawn, he's really your boyfriend?!" she asked.

"Do you have a hearing problem?" Paul asked, annoyed.

Dawn gulped as her friend's reaction was about what she expected. "Uhh...Y-Yeah," Dawn stammered, "Paul is…he is...my boyfriend."

Zoey took a few steps back, still unable to believe what she heard. "Oh man...Dawn actually has a boyfriend," Zoey said to herself.

"Dawn, does your friend have a hearing problem or is she just dumb?" asked Paul.

"Quiet, Paul!" replied Dawn. "This is the first time I'm introducing you to one of my friends. Of course, she would be a little surprised."

"You know, my mom wasn't this bad when I told her."

Finally, Zoey recomposed herself. "Sorry, I kinda freaked out a bit," she said. "It's just, I've known Dawn for a while now. And then she suddenly springs this kind of thing on me."

"It's not that surprising," Paul said.

"I just never thought Dawn would ever get a boyfriend," added Zoey.

Dawn's embarrassment faded away and was replaced by anger. "Hey, what do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Uh! Wait! What I mean is...I didn't think you'd get a boyfriend so soon!" Zoey said, trying to recover. "Especially someone like him."

Now it was Paul's turn to be offended. "And what do you mean someone like me?" he asked.

"Uh, actually, hold on!" Zoey said, frantically. "I didn't mean anything by that! It's just...when I think of "Dawn's boyfriend," I was thinking of someone else."

"Like who?" asked Paul.

Zoey thought for a moment about who she would envision as Dawn's ideal man. "Hmmm...now that I think about it, I don't actually know what Dawn's taste in men is like," Zoey said.

Zoey then caught a glimpse of a clock nearby. "Oh no, I'm running late!" she said. She looked back at Paul and Dawn. "Well, I love to stay and chat, but I gotta get going!"

She picked up her stuff and quickly made her way out of the Pokémon Center. "It was nice meeting you!" she said, bowing down to Paul. She then left in a hurry.

Paul and Dawn were left by themselves. "Well, that went well," Paul said, sipping his hot chocolate. Dawn sighed as she quickly went after Zoey. "Where are you going?" Paul asked.

"Zoey, wait!" Dawn shouted.

Fortunately, Zoey hadn't gotten too far away and Dawn was able to catch her. Paul wasn't too far behind. "Hold on a second, Zoey!" Dawn said. "Listen, I know that was all so sudden and you weren't ready to hear that kind of thing. Why don't we just sit down for a minute and catch up?"

"I'm sorry Dawn," replied Zoey. "As much as I would love to stay and chat, I really do have to go."

"But where are you going?" Dawn asked.

"I'm going to meet my friend Candice at the Snowpoint Ski Resort. She invited me as a guest and I thought I'd go and hang out with her for a bit. Maybe even practice a little bit of skiing..."

"Wait...did you say Candice?" asked Paul. "As in, Snowpoint City Gym Leader Candice?"

"Yep, that's her!" confirmed Zoey. "She's an old friend of mine. She's also a teacher at the nearby Pokémon Trainer School and they're having a class trip at the ski resort near Lake Acuity. She invited me as a guest."

"Perfect!" Paul said. "I can meet her there and challenge her to a Pokémon battle!"

"Uh...wait, hold on a minute," replied Zoey. "I don't think she's going to want to…"

"How do we get to this ski resort?" interrupted Paul.

"Ah, well...there's a shuttle bus nearby that takes you there," Zoey explained, pointing down the street. "If we hurry, we might be able to catch the next one."

"Then let's hurry," Paul said.

Paul quickly downed his cup of hot chocolate and began walking down the street towards the bus stop. "But," said Zoey, "I don't think she's gonna...want to...battle…"

It was no use. Paul already had his mind set on battling Candice for the Icicle Badge.

So Paul, Dawn, and Zoey left the Pokémon Center and boarded the shuttle bus from the bus stop nearby the Pokémon Center. They shared the bus with many other skiers and tourists looking to visit the Ski Resort.

As the bus made its way down the slick, asphalt road, Paul just looked out of the window, staring off into the distance, thinking about his next gym battle.

Zoey and Dawn sat next to him. "I sure hope Miss Senior's not mad about me bringing you guys along," worried Zoey.

"I'm sorry, Zoey," Dawn said. "Paul's really been looking forward to getting his next gym badge for the Sinnoh League."

"Yeah, I can tell," Zoey said, "He looks dead-set on having that battle with Miss Senior. He's gonna be disappointed when she tells her she's not interested."

"Why wouldn't she be interested?" Paul asked, breaking out of his trance. "It's a gym leader's duty to accept any and all challenges that come their way!"

"But like I said before, she's on a class trip," mentioned Zoey.

"That's fine," replied Paul. "Maybe her students can learn a thing or two about what it takes to be a true Pokémon trainer."

Zoey couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. "Is he always like this, Dawn?" she asked.

"I don't know, but probably," answered Dawn. "Paul trains his Pokémon nonstop for these battles so that he can prove his own strength to them."

"Oh really?" Zoey asked.

Zoey then thought to herself for a moment. "Kind of reminds me of someone else," she said.

"Who?" asked Paul.

"Y'know, the other guy," said Zoey. "Ash."

Dawn tensed up upon hearing his name. Paul only scoffed at his name. "Yeah right," he said, "as if he and I have anything in common."

Zoey then came to a realization. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Ash or Brock at all since I met you guys," she said. "Weren't they also traveling with you, Dawn?"

"She left them behind to travel with me," answered Paul.

"I mean...I didn't leave them behind," Dawn said, defensively.

"Yeah, you did," replied Paul. "You told me. You wanted to travel with me, so you ditched those two and left them behind."

"Why are you making it sound like I abandoned them?" asked Dawn.

"I didn't say you did," Paul said, defensively.

"Okay, good! Because I didn't! They know I'm with you!"

"Why would they think otherwise?" Paul asked as he was now becoming more confused.

Dawn then realized how frantic she was becoming. "Uh...I-I-I don't know," she stammered. "S-sorry."

Dawn sat back in her seat, embarrassed by how she was acting. Zoey was surprised by Dawn's erratic behavior. "Sooooo...where are you from, Paul?" Zoey asked, awkwardly trying to change the subject.

"Veilstone City," he replied.

"Ah! I've been to Veilstone City," Zoey said. "Isn't that where the Game Corner is at?"

"That's right," Paul said.

"You been there before?"

"No. Even if I was old enough, I don't see why anyone wastes money there."

"Oh!"

Things were silent for a moment, as Zoey tried to come up with something else to say to Paul. "Well, even so," she said. "There's also the department store...the largest in Sinnoh!"

"I guess," replied Paul.

"I know you been there before!"

"A few times with my mom," Paul said. "We didn't have a whole lot of money growing up. I tried to tell her not to waste it on dumb crap like shopping sprees, but she wouldn't listen."

"Oh," Zoey said, worriedly.

Zoey knew it was better not to ask him any more questions. "Geez Dawn, you sure know how to pick'em," she thought.

"Ladies and gentlemen...in just a few moments, we will be arriving at the Snowpoint Ski Resort! Please collect your belongings and watch your step as you disembark!"

Dawn looked out the window as the bus was rolling up to the mountain where the ski resort was built on. Her mouth went agape as she saw the large mountains in the background, completely covered in snow. At the bottom was a small district, with a Pokémon Center, shops, and several hotels. "Wow, it's so beautiful!" gasped Dawn.

"You've seen snow before," replied Paul.

"Yeah, but nothing like this," said Dawn. "Look at how huge those mountains are!"

"Just imagine skiing down those slopes at lightning speed," Zoey said. "You ever went skiing before?"

"No, never," answered Dawn.

"How about you, Paul?"

"Nope," Paul said. "Veilstone doesn't have mountains we can ski on. All we had was a dinky little play area downtown where all the kids would play."

"That sounded like fun," said Dawn.

Paul said nothing more.

Soon, the bus stopped and dropped everyone off at the gondola station at the bottom of the mountain. All of the passengers practically hopped off the bus in excitement, ready to hit the slopes.

Zoey, Dawn, and Paul stepped off the bus. Dawn was amazed by the massive size of the snow-covered mountain, as well as the number of people riding down the side of it.

"Here we are!" Zoey said, happily. "This is Mount Acuity, the largest mountain in Snowpoint City."

"Oh wow!" gasped Dawn. "Look at how huge it is!"

"Yeah, big...whatever," replied Paul. "So, where is this gym leader supposed to be?"

"Talk about a one-track mind," thought Zoey.

Zoey then looked down at her Pokétch to check the time. "Miss Senior told me to meet her here at the gondola station at ten," she said.

The three of them looked everywhere, but they weren't able to find Candice anywhere. "Are you sure she said to meet her here?" Paul asked.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Zoey replied.

"Maybe she's running late?" asked Dawn.

"Miss Senior? Late? Never!" replied Candice.

Just then, they heard a loud voice. "There they are!" shouted a voice.

The three of them then saw a small boy come out from hiding behind a wall of snow. He was holding a snowball in his hands. "Who is this little brat?" Paul asked.

"Come on, everyone! Let's get'em!" the little boy shouted.

The three of them were caught off-guard as dozens of small children appeared alongside the small boy. "What in the world?!" Dawn asked.

Paul, Dawn, and Zoey quickly ducked and put their arms up as the little kids began throwing snowballs at them. The children screamed and yelled as they continued throwing snowballs. "Hey, quit it!" Dawn shouted.

"Knock it off, you little turds!" growled Paul.

Paul got up on his feet and charged at a group of kids hiding behind the wall. The kids screamed as they quickly ran away from Paul. "Alright, now you're all gonna die!" he yelled.

But before Paul could get any closer to them, a young woman wearing a blue sweater jumped out from behind the wall and chucked a large snowball in Paul's face.

The impact was great enough to blind him and make him lose his footing. "Alright guys, we did it!" shouted the young woman.

The kids all cheered their victory. Zoey forgot to be angry once she recognized the young woman. "Miss Senior! I should have known you'd do something like this!" Zoey said.

"Huh?" Dawn asked, confused.

"Sorry, my friend is always trying to find ways to surprise people," explained Zoey.

"Hey, Zo-zo! Glad you could make it!" the young woman said.

"Of course," replied Zoey.

Candice then noticed Dawn and immediately became star-struck. "Oh my goodness! Aren't you Dawn?!" she asked, excitedly.

"Uh, yes?" Dawn asked, nervously. "How did you know?"

"A lot of the gym leaders have been talking about you!" explained Candice.

Candice then turned to the children. "Class, say hi to my friend, Zoey, and her friend Dawn!"

"Hello!" the children said in unison.

"Uh, hi...everyone," Dawn said.

"They're Pokémon Coordinators," continued Candice. "In fact, Dawn is the one who defeated Fantina in a Pokémon Contest in Hearthome City!"

The children gasped in amazement. "Uh, actually...it was a...draw," Dawn replied, sheepishly.

Nevertheless, the children quickly crowded around Dawn. They were so excited that some of the kids trampled over Paul as he was trying to get back up. The kids swarmed around Dawn, trying to ask her all kinds of questions or to get her to show her Pokémon.

"How didya do it?"

"Were you scared to face Fantina?"

"What kind of Poffins do you feed your Pokémon?"

"Can I have your Prinplup?!"

Dawn tried backing away, but they wouldn't let her. "Alright, just settle down now," she said, meekly. The kids wouldn't let up, even when Zoey tried to help.

Finally, Paul had enough. He quickly shot back up (knocking over a few kids in the vicinity) and shook the snow off his body. "Alright, that's enough, you little snot-nosed twerps!" he barked. "Settle down and shut up!"

His voice was loud enough to scare the kids quiet. "Whoa! Take it easy, Paul," said Zoey, worriedly. "They're just kids after all."

"And who are you?" asked Candice, excitedly. "Are you a coordinator too?!"

"What? No," replied Paul. "My name is Paul. I'm a Pokémon Trainer. And I'll have you know, I also defeated Fantina...in a gym battle!"

"Thanks to me," Dawn whispered under her breath.

Candice thought to herself for a moment. "Oh, now I remember!" she said. "Fantina told me about you."

"She...did?" Paul asked.

"Yep!" smiled Candice. "She told me you were rude, bad-tempered, stiff as a board..."

"What?!" Paul asked, angrily.

The kids laughed until Paul growled at them to make them shut up. "Oh relax, I'm only teasing you," said Candice. "Although, you are pretty hot-headed right now."

"You'd be hot-headed too if a bunch of kids threw snowballs at you when you weren't expecting it," replied Paul. "I'd thought as a gym leader you would set a better example for your students."

"Oh come now, it was all in good fun," replied Candice, playfully. "Although, I did get you pretty good in the face. Didn't I?"

Candice then put on a serious face. "I take it you're here to challenge me to a battle," Candice said.

"That's right," replied Paul. "I've come all this way to challenge you to a gym battle!"

"You must be pretty strong if you managed to defeat Fantina."

The kids were starting to get anxious.

"Go, Miss Candice!"

"Kick this guy's butt!"

"Yeah!"

Candice looked Paul right in the eye. "You really want to challenge me to a gym battle?" she asked.

"I didn't come here for anything else," replied Paul.

Candice smiled as she stared down her opponent. "It figures that the one time I actually get a challenger, I'm busy," she said.

"Don't worry, I'll make it quick," boasted Paul.

"Come on Miss Candice, you can beat this guy!" cheered a student.

Candice then thought to herself for a moment. She smiled when she came up with an idea.

Candice suddenly turned away from Paul and faced the kids. "Well, we'll have to do that later," she said. "Alright class, who's ready to have some fun in the snow?"

"Yay!" the class cheered.

"Hey! You're just blowing me off like that!" snapped Paul.

Candice ignored Paul for the moment. "Today, we're going to learn how to ski," Candice said.
"Hello!?" Paul shouted, annoyed.

"Unfortunately, one of your teachers, Mr. Tyler, caught a cold and couldn't be here with us today," explained Candice.

"Awww…" groaned the children.

"But not to worry! That's why I invited my friend, Zoey! And she also brought her friends, Dawn and Paul! They're going to be your team leaders for this trip!"

The three of them were confused. "Huh?" asked Zoey.

"What?" Dawn asked, confused.

"We are?!" asked Paul.

While the kids were happy about Zoey and Dawn as team leaders, they were less than pleased to hear that Paul would be too. "Miss Candice, we don't want this guy to be a leader!" said a student. "He's mean and bossy!"

"Yeah!" agreed the class.

"Oh yeah?" replied Paul. "You ain't seen nothing yet, you…"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Candice said, interrupting. "Look, I know Paul seems really mean and nasty, but once he calms down, he'll be a great team leader!"

The children still weren't too thrilled. "I promise that Paul will behave himself. And you guys will have a lot of fun together!"

"Are you sure?" asked another student.

"Yeah, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Paul.

"Of course!" replied Candice. "Because if Paul isn't a good team leader, he won't be allowed to challenge me to a gym battle after the trip is over!"

"What?!" snapped Paul.

"Now come on, class! Let's go get fitted for skis!"

The class followed behind Candice as they walked towards the rental center. They all sang songs as they waddled through the snow. The other three were left behind. "So...we're leaders now?" Dawn asked, confused.

"Was that really why Miss Senior brought me here?" Zoey asked. "She didn't mention anything about that in her message."

Paul only stood there, his eyes wide as he watched the kids following behind Candice. Despite their best efforts to stay in a single-file line, some of the boys were pushing and shoving each other, laughing and horsing around. Dawn noticed the look of horror on Paul's face. "Uh, are you okay?" she asked.

"You mean to tell me...that just to even challenge the gym leader...I have to be nice to these little punks?!" Paul asked, angrily.

"Now, just calm down," said Dawn. "There's no need to worry. How bad can a bunch of kids really be?"

Zoey only rubbed her neck nervously.

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: Hopefully, you guys enjoyed the beginning of the next Ikarishipping story! Already, there's a lot going on and more that's going to happen. Originally, it was going to be a simple story about Paul and Dawn going on a skiing trip.

Then I rewatched a few episodes of the anime and remembered that Candice was a teacher. So I decided to bring kids in because the idea of Paul having to babysit kids sounded hilarious to me.

Next time: So, the challenge is set for Paul! "Be good to the kids, otherwise you don't get a gym battle!" Naturally, the kids aren't going to make it easy for him. But one child, in particular, catches Paul's interest. Perhaps she reminds Paul a little of himself when he was younger?

And what's going to happen if and when Ash catches up to the group? Hopefully, Dawn is able to explain herself and tell him and Brock the truth about her and Paul!