Snorunt felt dazed.
Wrapped in that comforting energy, it was as if it were dreaming—one memory fragment after another flashed through its mind.
It had been born alone in a snowy mountain range, with no knowledge of its parents or where it should go.
It had wandered through the snowy wilderness, struggling to survive, until it somehow stumbled into a forest blanketed in gray mist.
That forest was home to many vicious beasts, and it had been driven to the outer edges by their relentless attacks.
Living in the fog-shrouded forest, it could feel the mist slowly corroding its body.
It watched its own skin grow dull and felt its life force being drained away bit by bit, its mind becoming foggy and its consciousness slowly fading.
One day, it could no longer hold on, and its awareness sank into eternal darkness.
And so, for an unknown length of time, all it could sense was darkness—nothing but endless darkness.
Just when it thought it would be trapped in the black void forever, a sliver of light suddenly appeared within its consciousness.
In a flash, an image of a human appeared in its mind, along with an encouraging voice:
"Hang in there, Snorunt. Stay strong..."
Its awareness gradually began to return. It slowly opened its eyes and once again saw that human, the one smiling gently.
"Congratulations, Snorunt—or rather, I should now call you Froslass."
Aven looked at the figure floating in front of him, joy evident on his face. Froslass's sapphire-like eyes were calm, like a clear, still mirror.
Clearly, after successfully evolving into Froslass, she had completely escaped the corruption of the gray mist and returned to her normal state.
Froslass… is that what I'm called now?
Still slightly confused, Froslass felt an unfamiliar lightness in her body and found herself floating gently in the air.
Her form was now white, resembling someone wearing a robe, with a red sash tied around her abdomen.
Her head looked like a sideways water droplet, and her three-fingered arms dangled from the sides of her head. Both her wrists and head were adorned with pale blue crystal-like decorations.
After examining her new body, she instinctively understood that she had successfully evolved.
"How are you feeling? Anything uncomfortable?" Aven asked gently.
Hearing his voice, Froslass turned to look at him and stared in a daze.
Although she had only seen this figure faintly and heard his voice through the haze, it felt as though he was etched into her very soul, making her feel deeply at ease.
From Aven's presence, she could sense his genuine care, and warmth blossomed in her heart.
She closed her eyes slightly to sense her condition, then shook her head gently. She didn't understand everything that had happened, but she just wanted to respond to the person before her.
"That's good," Aven sighed in relief.
When Snorunt was evolving, the sudden burst of gray mist had truly startled him.
"But it seems the mist's effects really have vanished.
Was it Froslass's Ghost typing that absorbed the similarly ghostly energy of the mist? Or was it the evolution itself?"
Aven fell into deep thought, pulling out a notebook and recording the observations. This was precious firsthand data.
If Ghost-type Pokémon could absorb the energy of the gray mist… could a similar method be used to extract the mist from the souls of other Pokémon?
"Lil, Lil —"
Just then, Petilil, who always considered herself the big sister of the team, stepped forward.
She felt the need to explain to the somewhat clueless new member that it was her Trainer who saved her.
Huff…? Froslass tilted her head in confusion, exhaling a breath of cold air.
She had nearly died? And it was this human who saved her?
Well… yes, that was the truth. And along the way, she had even evolved successfully.
Froslass couldn't help but look at Aven with even gentler eyes.
Yes—it was this person who had pulled her from that endless darkness!
Petilil nodded with satisfaction.
But when she noticed the way Froslass looked at Aven, the leaf on her head suddenly stood on end, sensing that something was off.
"Froslass, could you help me with an experiment?"
"Even though I have a fairly good idea of the outcome, there's still a small risk involved…"
Aven hesitated as he looked at the floating Froslass by his side.
He wasn't sure if he should let her take that risk.
But to his surprise, Froslass nodded without hesitation the moment he finished speaking.
"Then I'll be counting on you."
Seeing how cooperative she was, Aven couldn't help but smile genuinely.
The heavy clouds that had been hanging over him recently seemed to lift a little.
With Froslass and the rest of his still-vigilant Pokémon in tow, Aven stepped into the courtyard and walked toward the cages by the wall—where the mist-shrouded monsters were kept.
Floating beside him, Froslass paused when she saw the beasts cloaked in gray fog.
In an instant, countless fragmented images flashed through her mind.
Yes… she had been just like these beast: lost, without any rationality.
Only today had she finally recovered.
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
Just imagining herself cloaked in that gray mist again filled her with despair.
If this human hadn't saved her, she would've remained like that forever—until death finally claimed her.
"Froslass… it's all over now."
Just as she trembled and dared not confront those memories, Aven's gentle voice rang out beside her.
Hearing him, Froslass slowly calmed down. Then, in the next moment, she darted into Aven's arms and hugged him tightly!
"There, there. It's okay now," Aven said softly as he gently stroked her head, feeling the chill from her body but not letting go.
At the side, Petilil's leaf twitched again.
Suddenly, she realized what had felt so off earlier—and her eyes filled with suspicion.
After a while, Froslass finally recovered and floated back into the air, embarrassed, but feeling incredibly content.
Yes… it was all behind her now.
She was Froslass. And now… she no longer felt alone.
She looked at Aven, then at the Pokémon standing behind him, and floated quietly to his side—silently making a decision in her heart.
From now on, I'll always be here…
(End of Chapter)