The grand, frosted glass doors of the Snowpoint Gym hissed shut behind them, sealing away the smell of floor wax and concentrated focus. Julian stepped back into the biting wind, his breath forming a thick cloud as he tucked his Trainer ID back into his thermal vest.
"Alright, mission accomplished! Reservation confirmed for tomorrow morning," Julian said, offering a tired but triumphant grin to his companions. "The paperwork is done, the pre-battle scans are finished, and now the only thing left is to survive until sunrise. Anyone feeling like a celebratory shopping spree?"
"Woof-woof! (Please tell me that celebration involves those massive marrow bones from the butcher down the street? I need something to chew on while I'm psyching myself up!)"
Growlithe's tail was a blur of orange fur, slapping against Julian's leg in a rhythmic thud. He was practically vibrating with post-gym registration adrenaline.
"Fly-ah... (Forget the bones, let's just go back to the heater.)"
Sylveon's voice was small, barely a whisper against the wind. Her dainty paws were tapping the frozen pavement in a frantic, shivering rhythm, and her ribbons were pulled tight against her body.
"Sylveon! I told you it was going to be brutal out here," Julian said, his voice dropping into that 'concerned parent' register. "You've got snowflakes sticking to your fur like glitter, and you're shaking like a leaf. Come here."
Without waiting for an answer, Julian scooped the pink-and-white Pokémon into his arms, tucking her inside the oversized flap of his heavy down coat. He could feel the chill radiating off her fur, a stark contrast to the warmth of his own body.
"Fly-ah? (I thought you said I was 'concentrated mass' earlier? Aren't I too heavy for a guy who just recovered from a noodle-induced coma?)" Sylveon's eyes were half-lidded, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks as she nestled into the warmth.
"Oh, hush," Julian laughed, ducking his head to press his forehead against hers for a second, sharing the heat. "I said you were heavy when you were standing on my lungs. When I'm carrying you like a princess, you're as light as a Hoppip. You naughty little thing, you should have stayed in the hotel."
Sylveon didn't argue. She just buried her face in the crook of his elbow, letting out a soft, contented sigh as her shivering slowly subsided.
"Alright, Growlithe, let's pick up the pace before we all turn into Regice," Julian said.
"Woof! (Right behind you, Boss!)"
Growlithe trotted closer to Julian's heels. Suddenly, Julian felt a wave of dry, intense heat hitting the back of his legs. He glanced down to see a faint, flickering orange aura shimmering around Growlithe's coat. The dog wasn't using a move—not exactly—but he was channeling his inner flame so efficiently that the air around them felt like it had been blasted by a hairdryer.
"Whoa... Growlithe! Your control is getting insane," Julian noted, impressed. "You're acting like a portable space heater without even breaking a sweat. No embers, no smoke, just pure thermal radiation. When did you learn to do that?"
"Woof, woof-woof! (I've been practicing! You've been shivering in your sleep for the last three nights, Jing. I figured if I can't be a pillow, I can at least be an electric blanket. It took a while to get the 'simmer' right without burning the sheets, but I think I've got it now!)"
"You're a lifesaver, buddy," Julian said, his heart swelling. "With that kind of energy management, you're going to be a nightmare for Candice. You ready to show her what a 'simmering' Fire-type can do?"
"Woof! (Just give me the signal. I'm ready to melt the whole building if I have to!)"
"Fly-ah~ (Hey, don't forget I want a piece of the action too!)" Sylveon's head popped out from the jacket, her eyes bright and competitive.
Julian's expression faltered slightly. He looked down at the snowy road, his grip on Sylveon tightening just a fraction. "Actually... about that. I've been thinking about the lineup for tomorrow."
"Fly? (What's the face for?)"
"Well," Julian started, his voice a bit sheepish. "Since it's a three-on-three match... I'm planning on fielding Growlithe, Togetic, and Floette. So... you might be sitting this one out on the sidelines with me, Sylveon."
"Fly? (Huh? Seriously?)" Sylveon's ribbons uncurled, hanging limp in surprise.
"Look, don't take it personally," Julian explained quickly, stroking her ears to soften the blow. "Growlithe is the obvious choice for an Ice-type Gym. He's our heavy hitter here. As for Togetic, she's been itching for a real fight since she evolved, and her new Psychic tricks are perfect for disrupting those slippery Ice-types. And Floette... she's so close to her breakthrough. I can feel it. I think the high-stakes pressure of a Gym battle is exactly what she needs to push her limits so she can safely evolve into Florges. I'm sorry, girl. I know you wanted to go."
Sylveon looked at him for a long moment, then let out a soft huff, resting her chin back on his arm. "Fly-ah... (Fine. I'll let it slide this time because I want to see Togetic do her thing. But you'd better make sure I'm the star of the next one!)"
"It's a promise," Julian smiled.
"Woof! (Don't worry, Sylveon,)" Growlithe barked confidently. "(I'm planning on hitting the Elite Class during this fight. There's no way I'm letting Jing lose his first Gym match in Sinnoh! I'm going to be the wall she can't break!)"
"Fly-ah~ (Just make sure you don't trip on the ice, Mr. Elite. It would be pretty embarrassing to lose because you slipped on a puddle.)"
"Woof! (Hmph! Watch me!)"
Back at the Hotel
Click~
"Honey, we're home! And we brought supplies!"
Julian kicked the door shut, balancing a heavy bag of groceries in one arm while Sylveon leaped from his coat like a pink blur. Growlithe trotted in behind them, dropping a smaller bag of "emergency snacks" onto the carpet.
"Leafeon! (Food! Finally! I thought you'd been kidnapped by a Froslass!)" Floette zipped across the room, her eyes zeroing in on the grocery bag. She started hovering around Julian's head like a hungry mosquito. "(Cook! Cook now! My stomach is echoing!)"
"Give me a minute to take off my shoes, you glutton!" Julian laughed, handing the bag to her telekinetic grip. "Sylveon, Growlithe, go crash. You guys earned a nap."
Growlithe didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed a plush pillow—one Julian hadn't managed to reclaim for days—and dragged it to his favorite corner near the radiator. Sylveon followed suit, curling up against his warm flank, her eyes already fluttering shut as the room's warmth seeped into her fur.
"Alright, Togetic," Julian said, rolling up his sleeves. "You still want that cooking lesson? Or did the 'Noodle Incident' scare you off for good?"
"Togekiss! (I'm ready! I've been watching YouTube tutorials while you were gone!)" Togetic flew into the kitchenette, her triangles shimmering with anticipation.
"Okay, let's start with something hard to mess up," Julian said, pulling out a handful of Lum Berries. "Fruit Pudding. It's mostly about mixing and temperature control—two things your Psychic powers are great for."
Julian spent the next hour acting as a mix between a head chef and a bomb squad technician.
"Okay, Togetic, first we wash the Lum Berries. Then, use your Psychic power to gently press the juice out. Don't just crush them into atoms, we need the liquid, not a smoothie."
Togetic's brow furrowed in concentration. The berries hovered in a blue glow. Splat. Blue juice sprayed against the backsplash.
"A bit too much force," Julian noted patiently, wiping a drop of juice off his nose. "Try it like this..." He demonstrated the juicer, then showed her how to strain the pulp. "Now, we mix the juice with the pudding base. And we add a pinch of pollen. Just a pinch."
"Jia-gei? (Like this?)"
Togetic reached for a white crystalline jar.
"STOP! That's the salt!" Julian lunged for her arm. "Salt pudding is a one-way ticket back to the bathroom for me. The pollen is the yellow one! The yellow one!"
"Togekiss-mi? (But they're both sparkly...)"
Ten minutes later:
"Wait! Togetic, don't put the Bounsweet syrup in yet! It's super concentrated, you have to dilute it with Moomoo Milk first or it'll burn the bottom of the pan!"
"Jia-gei~ (Oops! I forgot!)"
The kitchen was a symphony of Julian's frantic instructions and the sound of things hovering slightly too fast. From the bedroom, Growlithe's ears twitched at every "Wait!" and "No!" that drifted through the door. He opened one eye, looking at the kitchen door with a mix of fear and curiosity.
[I hope Jing has a good insurance policy on his stomach,] Growlithe thought, burying his nose deeper into the pillow. [Because if Togetic is the chef... we're going to need a lot of Antidotes.]
Inside the kitchen, Julian was laughing despite the mess. "Alright, that's... actually not bad. Let's get it in the fridge and see if it sets. You're getting the hang of it, Togetic!"
"Togekiss! (Just you wait, Jing! By the time we leave Snowpoint, I'll be the best cook in the party!)"