An Icy Surprise
"Hello." Humans
"Pika-chu." Pokémon addressing humans
"Hello." Pokémon addressing Pokémon
"And that is the history of the Theory of Friendship Evolutions." A female professor said before turning to face the class.
"That sounds annoying!" A student called from the back, getting chuckles and snickers from the rest of the class.
"Jacob! Do you want another day of detention?" The professor said, glaring at the student.
"Sorry, Ms. Birch…" Jacob said sheepishly.
"Professor! I didn't earn my degree at Saffron City University to be called 'Miss!'" She reminded him.
The woman fiddled with her lab coat a bit before turning back to the board again. Her brown-haired ponytail flopped about as she turned. Picking up the chalk again with slender hands she began to move on to the next bit of the lesson, causing a Pokéball pendant at her side to flop out. In a triangle formation closer to the windows sat Ash, Lillie, and Isaac. Ash was trying his best to take notes, though admittedly he was not the best, with Pikachu lazily sleeping in his school bag. Isaac, meanwhile, was not only diligently copying down everything at a brisk pace, but Blaze also even joined in, writing in her own notebook.
However, Lillie sat in front of the two boys, writing at a middling pace compared to her friends. Despite that, she was distracted as, in one arm, she held her Pokémon egg. Most of the time, especially when she was at the lab, she left the egg with Mrs. Ketchum. She did, however, bring it to school with her. Wrapped in a sky-blue blanket, she had it wrapped up like a burrito. Though she soon perked her head up as Professor Birch mentioned something about Pokémon eggs.
"Now then, in my own personal experience, one cannot consider Evolution without considering Pokémon eggs. For it is the first part of a Pokémon's life cycle. And the one most fraught with peril for the young prospective Pokémon." Ms. Birch explained, causing Lillie to raise her hand.
"P-Professor Birch? What kind of perils?" Lillie asked nervously.
"Thank you for asking, Lillie. Examples of such perils are predators, falling hazards that could break the egg, even something as simple as a sudden change in climate could be a danger to a Pokémon egg. It's why they're normally kept safe in incubators or close by to a parent that can protect them." Professor Birch explained.
It was almost instantaneous. That is how long it took Lillie's heart to sink to the pit of her stomach. Her already pale face went wittier than bed sheets. Ash and Isaac soon noticed this change, but they could not do much to reassure their friend. Professor Birch had ears like a Zubat and eyes like a Fearow. Nothing happened in that classroom that she did not know. Or at least it seemed like it.
It took until after class for them to finally grab hold of Lillie and pull her out of the room. They found Gary outside the room, leaning against the wall with his Squirtle attempting a rubix cube. And failing.
"Stupid thing. How do humans work this blasted contraption?" Gary's Squirtle grumbled as Pikachu yoinked it out of his hand.
"Let me show you how to do it, Shell Head." Pikachu told him before starting to work on it.
"Did anyone ever tell you it's rude to grab stuff out of people's hands like that?" Blaze asked.
"Done!" Pikachu called out before showing off the solved cube.
As the Pokémon marveled at Pikachu's accomplishment, and Gary's Squirtle's frustration, Gary soon looked upon the trio. He then raised a confused eye at Lillie, shivering like a tree in the wind.
"What's got you spooked so badly, Lillie?" Gary asked.
"Just something Professor Birch said about the perils facing Pokémon eggs…" Lillie worriedly said, gently rubbing her egg while keeping it bundled up.
"Why are you worried? The only place you take it is in school, and everyone's super careful around you because of it." Gary asked, pushing himself off the wall.
"I just… I don't want anything to happen to it. Oh, I wish it would hatch soon…" Lillie fretted, adjusting the blanket to better wrap it securely.
Ash then lifted his finger up as his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "I got an idea how we can get it to hatch sooner!" Ash exclaimed.
"Oh, here we go. Another harebrained Ash Ketchum scheme…" Isaac muttered.
"Hey, the last one didn't turn out bad!" Ash snapped defensively.
"... Ash. Your last idea started an accidental mass Pokémon battle-style food fight in the dining hall." Gary reminded his longtime friend.
"Also, the one before that with the blowtorch and roller skates had your mom very mad at you…" Lillie added.
"And don't get me started on that one time you tried to help upgrade the stadium's electronics…" Isaac piped up.
"I appreciate the encouragement, guys…" Ash answered sarcastically. "But I promise you all this one is better than the ones over the few weeks we have had in school so far."
"Alright, let's see what kind of shenanigans you get us into this time, Ketchum." Isaac told him.
"Well, one of the Rapidash back at the lab I know has its hidden ability Flame Body. And it's currently nursing some eggs of its own. Just put it in with the rest of the eggs, and let nature do the rest." Ash explained, before opening the floor to his friends.
"... This is… actually surprisingly well thought out for you, Ashey-Boy…" Gary told his old friend.
"But will the mother accept it? Or hurt the egg?" Lillie asked nervously, clutching her egg more.
"The Pokémon at the lab all know your scent by now, Lillie. This could actually work." Isaac assured her.
Lillie stood there and began to think it over. There were risks. Many risks. But then she looked down at the egg. If she did not do this…, would it ever hatch? She then looked back up at her friends, still with a worried expression.
"How about this, Lillie: I'll ask the Rapidash mother if it's okay. If she gives the okay, we'll put the egg in with the others. If she says no, we'll come up with something else." Isaac offered.
"It's weird having a friend that can speak to Pokémon. Not gonna lie." Gary whispered to Ash.
"I know, right? He's like a Poké-Whisperer…" Ash whispered back in agreement.
"Can you two in the peanut gallery shut it!?" Isaac snapped.
"Y-You would do that for me?" Lillie asked.
"Of course I would. You're my friend. Besides… I'm kinda curious about what's gonna hatch out of this thing." Isaac assured her.
"Professor Samson Oak said it would likely be an Ice-type. But thank you Isaac." Lillie answered with a smile.
Isaac smiled back. "We can go over to the stables after school when we get back to the lab. Ash can direct me to the mother so I can ask her." he told his friend.
"I'll make sure to get the sugar cubes. She likes those." Ash said with a smile.
"Gramps said to lay off those, Ash. It's bad for her thighs." Gary reminded him.
"This is an exception." Ash shot back as the group began to walk off to their next class.
That Evening: Professor Oak's Lab
Ash opened the door to the stables, and everyone filled in after him. Various paddocks and enclosures inside a rustic wooden barn filled the room, with the loft above full of hay, feed, and other necessities. He then led them to the back, in a smaller and more isolated stall. Inside was a Rapidash laying upon straw, with several eggs neatly put into a bed of straw. Ash gave her a smile as he opened the door to her stall.
"Hey, girl. How are you doing? I brought you some sugar cubes. It's our little secret." Ash said with a smile, pulling the small cubes out of a small sack.
The Rapidash visibly got excited at that and licked Ash on the cheek. As he wiped off the saliva, she began to gingerly eat the cubes in his hand. Each one plucked by her teeth individually, almost like a Pidgey with a seed. Isaac then stepped forward, having to hold back his awe for the Pokémon before him.
"Hey, girl. How are you doing?" Isaac asked her.
The horse Pokémon turned to look at him, as if sizing him up. Quickly she saw he was not a threat and gave him a small nod and a snort.
Placing a hand on her head just below her horn, Isaac gently rubbed her head. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing a favor for Lillie." he told the mother Rapidash, pointing at Lillie behind him with the thumb of his other hand.
"What kind? And does it involve sugar cubes?" She asked Isaac, her voice very mellow and motherly in Isaac's head.
Isaac smiled. "There'll be plenty more sugar cubes in it for you if you do this for us. Would you mind if we put Lillie's egg in with your babies' eggs to help it hatch sooner?" he said, offering up a trade.
She then turned her horned head to look at Lillie. This caused the girl to nervously stiffen up, and more firmly hold her egg. Without another word, the Rapidash gave Isaac another nod, and began to make more space in the nest for it. Seeing this, Gary and Ash went to get more straw.
"Thank you." Lillie said gratefully, getting a gentle neigh out of the horse Pokémon.
"Gramps is gonna kill us for this…" Gary grumbled as he put some more straw down next to the mother.
"Come on, Gary. You only live once." Ash said with a smile.
"Oh, you got that right…" Gary grumbled more.
After the Rapidash adjusted the nest with the new straw, Lillie gingerly set it down in the new space made for it. She soon took the blanket off it as the mother filled in the space with straw. Lillie looked up the sight. She was nervous about it, but with a mother Pokémon, she at least knew anything that tried to harm the egg would get very toasty. The Rapidash then nuzzled Lillie to comfort her. To everyone's shock, Lillie did not freak out, and even gently petted the mother.
Then the mother turned her attention to Ash and Isaac. She gave them a lick on the cheek in thanks. After a brief goodbye, they closed the gate to the stall and turned off the light. The only light left in the barn was the ambient light coming from all the Rapidash and Ponyta's manes. The mother Rapidash then laid her head down around the nest, the heat emanating from the fire type bathing the nest. Slowly beginning to work its magic on Lillie's egg.
The Next Morning
The normal early morning peace of the barn was interrupted by a blinding flash of light. The brief flash made the mother Rapidash rouse in her sleep and yawn. She investigated her nest to see an odd Pokémon. It looked like a Vulpix, except it was mostly white, its head and tails were covered in floofy, wavy hair, and its feet were a light blue. Two starry eyes, shaded almost like a gem, looked around the room in confusion, and soon panicked.
"Are you okay, little one?" The Rapidash asked.
"Where am I!? What is this place!? What's going on here!?" The Vulpix demanded, on the verge of a panic attack.
"You are in the Professor's barn, inside my nest, little one. Your momma put your egg in my nest so you could hatch." She explained, trying to keep calm for the new baby.
"My momma…? Where is my momma…?" The Vulpix asked, turning to face the Rapidash with worry written on her face.
"She will be here in a bit, dear. If you need to, you can go outside for a bit to get some air." The Rapidash said softly.
The little Vulpix nodded at that. "Thank you…" she replied before slowly heading out of the barn.
"Don't go too far now!" The Rapidash called out.
As the little Vulpix wandered off, it did not really understand the idea of going too far. And kept going and going and going. Meanwhile, Ash, Lillie and Isaac soon arrived at the barn and made their way to the stall. Upon opening the door to the stall however, they instantly saw the egg was gone… and there was no baby Pokémon in sight.
"My baby!!!!" Lillie shrieked in horror, startling the entire barn into a panic.
"Lillie, calm down. It can't have gone far." Isaac told her gently.
"That's not true. We don't even know what kind of Pokémon it is." Ash replied.
"Well, I know how we can find out." Isaac said before looking to the Rapidash mother. "Hey, girl. What kind of Pokémon hatched out of Lillie's egg?"
"It was a weird looking Vulpix. It was white and fluffy, not red like normal. It was panicking, so I told it to go take a bit of a walk to get some air." The Rapidash replied to Isaac.
Isaac nodded. "Thanks, girl. Here's your sugar cubes." he replied, pulling out the sugar cubes to feed to her.
"You got to tell us how you are able to do that Isaac." Ash said, curious.
"Another day. We're looking for an Alolan Vulpix." Isaac told his friend as the Rapidash began eating the sugar cubes.
"Pikachu! Get sniffing! We got to find that baby Pokémon!" Ash ordered.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out before rushing off.
"How about having Pidgeotto fly around and look? He should be able to spot something." Gary told his longtime friend.
"Send out everything! It's all alone out there and in peril!!" Lillie cried out in panic.
"Lillie, Lillie! Deep breaths! In and out!" Isaac told her as he came over, trying to help her calm down.
With that, Ash and Issac let out Pidgeotto, Blaze, Yokozuna, and Ruffian to assist. The humans and Pokémon quickly began to fan out searching for the young one. Said young one, after walking through some bushes, found itself in a wide-open wasteland. The ground was dry and rocky, and it felt horrible on its soft paws. The sun equally beat down on it, with no cover or respite. Panting, it soon found a rock to hide under. However, as soon as it laid down in the meager shade, the rock revealed itself to be a Graveler. Soon other rocks began to move around it, leaping out as Geodudes.
"Eeep!" The young Vulpix shrieked.
"What're you doing here, runt?" The Graveler demanded, an annoyed look on its face.
"I don't know! I don't know where I am, where my momma is, anything!" The Vulpix panickily replied.
"Well, you made a bad call comin' into our turf! We don't take kindly to Ice Types! Mess 'er up, boys!" The Graveler told the Geodudes.
This triggered something in the Vulpix. A cold pit in its stomach began to form. Then on pure instinct, it let forth from its mouth a chilling gust of powdery snow. The move caught the gang of Rock Types off guard as the Graveler roared in immense pain from the attack. The Geodudes looked on with looks of fear. The Graveler looked down on the small Ice Type with shocked bewilderment.
"Did you just…?" It began to ask before growling. "Yer gonna regret that, runt!"
"You shall do no such thing, boulder form ruffians!!" Came a triumphant cry from the skies.
The Pokémon looked up into the sky. Coming out of the light of the blazing sun came Pidgeotto, who screamed down in a dive to force the Rock Types to duck. As he swung around for another pass after the dive, he called out to the Vulpix.
"Hark, young one! Come with me if you want to live! Jump onto my back as I pass!" Pidgeotto called out as he came back around.
The Vulpix looked on in confusion. But, seeing no other choice, it leapt onto Pidgeotto's back as he flew past again. Before the Rock Types could retaliate for this humiliation, Ash arrived.
"Hey! How many times do I have to tell you guys to stop picking fights on random Pokémon!?" Ash roared, staring at them sternly.
The gaggle of Rock Types mood instantly changed to fear as Ash looked at them sternly. Then, in unison, they rolled up into balls and fled the scene. Pidgeotto soon landed next to his trainer and gently put the Vulpix down on the ground. Ash smiled at it as he got on his knees next to it.
"It's okay. Those bullies can't hurt you now. I've given them chance after chance to change their ways, but they never take it." Ash said, before gently petting the young Vulpix.
While scared, the baby soon nuzzled its head into Ash's hand. This gradually helped it calm down. As this happened, Isaac, Lillie, and the rest of the Pokémon rushed over, causing the Vulpix to panic again. Ash, however, kept petting it and held it still.
"Easy, easy. We aren't here to hurt you. We were looking everywhere for you. Especially since your momma was worried sick about you." Ash explained it with a warm smile.
The little fox Pokémon looked up at him in surprise at that. Momma was worried…?
"Oh, I'm so glad you're safe!" Lillie told the Vulpix, scooping her up into her arms and hugging her, not even phased by the fact that she was now touching a Pokémon.
"Lillie… you're touching a Pokémon without freezing up for the second day in a row." Ash said in shock.
Lillie looked at Ash in surprise at that. "I… I am…?" she asked before looking down at her Vulpix.
"V-Vulpix…?" The little fox said as it looked up at Lillie.
"That's right, little lady. That's your momma." Isaac told the Vulpix with a smile.
The little fox then let out a smile. "Vulpix Vul!!" she cried out before happily snuggling into Lillie.
"Well, I think she likes you." Ash said with a big smile.
Lillie smiled proudly as she gently petted and snuggled her new partner. "I think I'll call her… Snowy." she announced.
"Vul Vul!" Vulpix cried out happily and began to even wage her fuzzy tails.
"Well, I think she likes the name. Now's the time to use the Pokéball you got with her case to catch her." Ash explained.
Nodding, Lillie reached into her handbag and pulled out Snowy's Pokéball. Smiling down at the little fox, she kneeled and gently put Snowy down before holding out the ball. "Ready, Snowy…?" she asked.
"Vulpix." Snowy answered with a nod.
Lillie then gently tapped the button of the Pokéball against Snowy's forehead. Snowy then disappeared in a flash of red light into the ball. To Ash and Isaac's shock, the ball did not even wiggle three times. It simply wiggled briefly before letting out the ding with stars flying. Lillie smiled and then gently kissed the ball as she stood up.
"I did it… I have a partner. Would you be proud of me, dad?" Lillie said to herself, forgetting her friends nearby.
Isaac smiled and walked over. "I'm sure he would be. Come on, let's head back to the lab and introduce Snowy to the others." he told her.
"Professor Oak is gonna get really excited at the prospect of studying a regional form." Ash said with a smile.
"Thank you, guys. Thank you for everything." Lillie said with a smile and began to lead the group back to the lab. To start a new journey with Snowy now by her side.