It was like any other day in Winter. The snow glittered across the streets, yet was disturbed and ruined by the black piles of snow that have been rolled in dirt. He was standing on a line for the Castelia Cones, hungry for sweet. His Galvantula, Jolt, was right beside him. Once he came into line, he didn't hesitate to order.

"May I have one Castelia Cone por favor?" he asked, Galvantula able to taste the ice cream in his mouth. He wasn't just buying for himself, but for his Jolt as well. He never finishes the cones, so he might as well give the leftovers to Jolt. Why not?

"Oh, of course! just one second please!"

"Alright." He stood there, waiting as he started a simple chat with his Jolt. Soon, the ice cream came.

"We sell Castelia City's famous Casteliacone here, but we close the shop in Winter!" somebody suddenly spoke, catching his attention. It was another woman, one with short brown hair and a neat dress with brown lines verticaly running down.

"Oh, sorry. I seem to have forgotten," he apologized. He walked out the store and heard Jolt pout. "It's alright, there must be some cones at the Tournament there. There must be." Walking out the traffic of the streets, they soon came upon the entrance of the great bridge. There was a sidewalk for those who prefer to walk, another for those who prefer to bike, and the rest just for vehicles. He didn't want to hitch a ride on a bus either, nor bike. Jolt felt rather energized today. A thought pops into his head.

"Hey, Jolt."

"Ga?" it looked up at it's master.

"Do you want to climb those rails?" he pointed at the rails of the bridge, which slowly went higher and higher in a slope, then at the peak went down another slope. It was perfect for Jolt to climb on. It would be a fun ride as well. "I can take a ride too," he smiled, his teeth shining as he gave the spider a thumbs up. It nodded, jumping in joy of doing something exciting for once. Jainero slowly got on Jolt, wrapping his arms around the spider's neck.

"Go Jolt!" he pointed foward, not knowing that a group of kids were watching him the entire time. They were shocked and were staring at them. As Jolt raised his hind legs, he leaped off the ground and watched as they were suspended in air for a moment. Landing on the rails, Jolt quickly climbed up the rails. Jainero noticed some kids waving and pointing at him, curious and wanting to do the same. All he did was wave back with one hand and smile.

"Man I miss my childhood...when I could point and say I wanted to be like that person," he remembered his childhood, Jolt agreeing with a cute cry. He hugged the bug pokemon. "But we wouldn't be here, now would we?"

They soon started to slope down, Jolt starting to suddenly slip slowly off the rails. "Hey! Hey! Slow it down Jolt! I know your excited but-" he was suddenly interrupted by the cry of Jolt as he jumped off, Jainero letting out a surprised scream. He left his eyes open and watched as they landed like cats on the other side of the bridge. His breath was taken away by the beauty of the garden that lies before him. the fear was replaced with warmth as his Christmas spirit started to catch on. Getting off Jolt and dusting himself off, he glanced over the beautiful sight before him. After a few minutes, he snapped himself awake and continued towards the stadium. Jolt thought the same, thinking the garden outside was beautiful. The snow blanketed the whole place, adding even more beauty to it.

He walked towards the stadium and reached the entrance. Once inside, he went straight towards the desk he was supposed to register his three pokemon for the first round. He didn't know who to choose, since he hesitated in responding to the man waiting for his response. Definitely Jolt, of course. After pondering for a moment, he finally decided his three pokemon.

"Which are your three pokemon you will be registering?" the man repeated.

"Register Galvantula," he said Jolt's name, taking out a pokeball and commanding the bug inside. Once the dazzling red light entered the sphere, he handed it to the man. "...Swampert, and Gallade," he took out another two, handing those to the man as well. He then watched as the adult scanned his pokeballs and what looked like recording. After a few seconds, he handed them back to Jainero with a smile. He then told him what he was assigned to before he finished up.

"All done sir. Next?" he smiled, then shouted out for anybody else in line. Jainero walked out of line, now heading towards the battlefield. He took out Jolt's pokeball, which had the sticker of a lightning bolt on it. "You will be first, as promised," he whispered to the ball before the first rays of light hit him on his body. He glanced around and was surprised at the small amount of trainers currently on the battlefield. There were statues and sculptures of pokemon everywhere. It was a beauty. As he leaned against the walls of the stadium wall, he looked up to see Nick.

""Welcome all!" Nick Clause's voice boomed over. "Welcome to Harmony Isle, home of the Tournament of Snow, 2011!" he hollers out, the crowd cheering in excitement and joy. Jainero claps along with the others, excited as well. the crowd then grew quiet, Jainero halting his applause. "I hope you're all excited as I am, because we have a wide array of talented trainers gathered here today!" Jainero clapped again, not able to resist fighting the trainers. "Now, let's start the day off with the Preliminary battles! You lose your battle, you're out of the tournament, but if you win," he paused to step aside, revealing a man carrying a beautiful box made of ice. Just looking at it made Jainero want to win. You may get the chance to be crowned Holiday Hero!" he finished, taking out an even more beautiful piece of art. It was a crown made out of pure, dazzling ice. He was now going to win, his hopes starting to change. Now, when he battled the Elite 4 of Unova, they wouldn't want to mess with the Holdiday Hero! Such title. Even so, he hoped he could pull it off.

"This is, of course, if you manage to beat the five year reigning champion, Reyna!" he announced, a woman revealing herself into the stage went wild. She looked quite stunning, yet to his eyes, not as beautiful as the crown made of ice. He could beat that woman. He was sure of it. From what his team suffered, he hopes to win.

"Thank you Nick," Reyna spoke out. "It's an honor to be with you all for another year, and I am sure that this year will be even more exciting than years previous!" she paused as the crowd sent a wave of cheers. Jainero clapped once more, not knowing how they find her bautiful. Guess he had a bad taste for looks. "And now, let the Tournament of Snow begin!" she raised her hand. Then, as if on cue, a statue of an Articuno loomed over them. Looking up, he was dazzled by the beauty of it.

"It's official. I love ice sculptures," he told himself, amazed by these works of art. He went to the battlefield he was assigned in, waiting for his opponent to arrive. At last, the tournament had begun.

Andrew walked quietly through the city, all his pokemon by his side. Rome was doing his best to keep up and Venice was tailing happily behind the quilava. Tuscany and Archur were easily keeping the pace beside Andrew and Florence was by the Swampert's side, while Romagna floated a little further behind. They got a bunch of odd stares, but Andrew ignored it and kept moving. Andrew felt a tug at his leg and looked down to see the bottom of his pants leg in Venice's mouth. She danced around a bit and then pointed a paw to a little store almost hidden in the rows of buildings. A sign in the window read "Frozen Poffins." Andrew gave her an incredulous look.
"You do realize that it's snowing right now, right?" The zorua gave a happy nod and started pulling on Andrews pants again, towing him towards the shop. "Fine, fine. Anyone else want one?"
"Peeert!" Archur declared his hunger.
"Taaang" Andrew heard Romagna coming up behind him.
"Oh, come on, you don't even have a mouth," Andrew sighed. "Just for you three? Stay here, I'll be right back." Andrew left them at a bench and returned a few minutes later with the treats. Archur and Venice quickly ate theirs, and Romagna just stared at it as he always did with his food. Andrew had no idea how, but the matang always managed to consume his food, and Andrew never saw how. He would turn around and when he looked back the food would be gone. He shook the thought away and motioned for his party to follow. Rome scampered up Andrew's back and sat on his shoulder, head flickering with a bit of fire to warm the area up. Venice not wanting to be left out of the free shoulder rides, got onto the boys other shoulder and figured out a way to lay down in a little ball without falling off.
The bridge to Harmony Isle soon came into view. It was indeed a magnificent testament to human technology. The bridge lead from mainland to an actual island, and it was built so quickly and sturdily. It amazed Andrew how it could have possibly been done. He took a step onto the construct and looked around. It was filled with people heading to the island for the tournament.
"I'm gonna put all you guys into your balls right now, except you Florence." Andrew got out the five red and white spheres and with several red flashes of light, the pokemon were gone. Florence was waiting expectantly and Andrew climbed onto her back. "You're not too cold for this, are you?" the boy asked, taking into consideration that she was ground and dragon type and the effect the cold would be having on Florence, especially while she was flying.
"Gon" she reassured him and took off, flying quickly over the bridge and landing right in front of the stadium. Andrew recalled her and then walked in. Warm air greeted Andrew's face and he just stood there for a moment, warming himself up. He asked around and soon found a man registering trainers.
"Who will be competing for this event?" the man asked. Andrew thought for a second. He wanted a balanced team so that in case any of his pokemon were suffering too badly, it would be easy to know who was going to be sent out next.
"My Flygon, " Andrew grabbed her pokeball and gave it to him, "My Quilava and my Arbok," he gave the man the other two pokeballs. The man put them into a small machine and looked at a computer screen.
"Okay, I've got Florence the Flygon, Rome the Quilava and Tuscany the Arbok."
"Yes, sir."
"Like foreign cities much?" he asked sarcastically, but not meanly as he handed the pokeballs back.
"Yup. Thanks very much," Andrew answered, ignoring the sarcasm.
"I'll take the next contestant here," the man called out as Andrew left. He let out the three pokemon he was using.
"You guys are gonna be the first to compete," Andrew smiled at them. They each gave happy calls and smiled. "Lets show these other guys what it means to win a tourny, eh?"

Tournament of the Snow Post 1 (Xander)​

"Yan!"

"Yeah I know Scouter, we are almost there," I told my Yanmega partner. She did loops in the air and I laughed. She was excited because we were in a new region, a new region she had never been to before. She had been very excited when she met some of the pokemon that inhabited this region of Unova.

Personally, I never really heard of it. Unova was a region that only recently opened itself up to the rest world, so not many new about it yet.
When I first docked in Nuvema Town, people kept staring at me. They kept pointing, commenting on how strange Scouter was. I didn't like that very much and snapped back at them in a whole long lecture about looking down on someone else's pokemon. No one in Nuvema town was willing to approach me, besides Professor Juniper.

Why was I in Unova? I was invited to participate in the Tournament of the Snow. It was something that was held yearly in different regions and this year it was going to be held in the newly opened up region, Unova. Specifically, it was going to be held in a remote island near Castelia City, to where I was headed now. From Nuvema Town, I was walking to my destination. Why? From Nuvema Town, there were no other faster modes of transportation that were available in Nuvema Town that went to Castelia City.

I wish I had captured a Trapinch so I could fly my way there when it evolved into a Flygon.

I was forced to navigate through a desert. I had gone the wrong way three times and all those times I ended up near some ruins. I did explore for a little while, but I quickly left to find my way again. Scouter disliked being in the desert, so I had to coop her up into her pokeball, which she disliked as well. She liked being free and able to fly around, it was just in her nature. I finally made it out of the desert about an hour ago and I was still walking on the long bridge that led to Castelia. From there, I would go to the pokemon center and take a short break before heading out again.

"Yan!" The dragon fly cried, flying back to me. Her wing was pointing just ahead.

Well hello Castelia City.

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Castelia City was filled with many buildings. These buildings were so tall that they reached way up into the sky. Just a little bit higher they could pierce clouds. There were tall buildings in Lilycove for sure, it was a bit city just like this one, but Castelia was way bigger. People were rushing about along the streets, business papers flying through the wind, and many uses of "Excuse me" passed from one person to the other as they were either trying to get to the nearest beverage shop or just trying to get to work. Lilycove wasn't this bustling, even during the busiest hours of the day. The only time I would think it would be this crowded would be when contests were being held. The Pokemon Center was the hardest place to find. They looked very different from the ones in Hoenn for one thing, but in this bustling city and being pushed around by the people running from one place to another just made looking for the place harder. I had managed to find the Pokemon Center after a while. They needed to put the place in a more secluded place. How did people even managed to get here without ever being shoved into the concrete?

I really didn't want to go out again.

I was sitting in front of the computer now. I was looking through some things and at the moment I was sifting through my email. My pokemon were out and about in the Pokemon Center. Bo, my Dusclops, was chatting with Julia, my Milotic. Joker, my Breloom, was attempting to cause havoc and maybe swipe some purses and wallets with Timothy, my Kecleon, who just followed him. Scouter was doing her best to try to foil Joker's attempt to cause mischief and Donny, my Heracross, was just sitting beside me as I sifted through my emails. He was the loner of the group and I felt sorry for him. I swore to myself I would find him a companion, but I haven't done such a thing yet. I would eventually, I'll find a pokemon once I back track back to Fortree.
Looking through emails was depressing. I lost contact with many people this way. Many people I would meet would just disappear. Another person and I would just exchange a few emails before he or she disappeared. I think it's me. Maybe my old self is shining through those emails? Was I just boring? Did they think I was a horrible friend?

My eyes lit up as I saw one name that always made my day. His name was Remy. He always seemed to find the time to reply back and he didn't disappear without a good reason. He was a trainer like I was, doing a badge run of his own. We had met one day in Falarbour Town and we just hit it off. My heart flies just by thinking about him and then falls because I remember that he was into women.

He was still a good friend though and he was the only one I would trade emails back and forth with.

I scanned his email, my eyes not willing to skip a word. I laughed at some of his misadventures and disasters. He would often put a joke or two that would make me burst out laughing even harder than I already was. This email I notice that there were some inside jokes littered everywhere which made me smile in nostalgia. I typed a long reply back, talking about my journey to Castelia, what Castelia was like, and replied to some of the questions he asked and reactions to his tales. After reading it over, I pressed the send button and then logged out of my account for someone else to go.

I looked around for my pokemon, making sure I could find them all so I could return them back to their pokeballs. However, I decided to make one switch. Donny was the easiest to find because he was just beside me and Julia and Bo were easy to find as they hadn't moved for a long time and they were still chatting. I returned them into their balls and went off to find Joker and Timothy, who were much harder to find because they were out and about causing mischief, but once they were inside; Scouter took a roost on top of my straw hat.

I petted her dragonfly body with one of my hands. Her wings fluttered in response, which made me chuckle. I walked to one of the visual phones that were available and punched in my father's number. It took a few seconds, but his blue eyes stared back at my brown ones.

He ran his hands through his black hair, his aged face lighting up a little, "Hey Xander, is there something you need?"

"Yeah, can you send Pillow over?" I asked, "I am going to use her during the preliminaries. If you don't mind, do you want to watch over my Dusclops, Bo, for a bit?"

"Yeah I don't mind," He smiled, "just let me go get her."

His face disappeared from the screen. There were screams that echoed, crashing sounds that played, and a lot of shuffling of feet, but my father seemed to make it back okay.

"Pillow doesn't like you that much does she?" I asked.

"No she doesn't," He sighed, "Anyways, I am going to send it through."
I grabbed Bo's pokeball from my straw hat and showed it to him, "Yeah, I'll do the same."

I walked over to the pokeball transfer machine and placed it on the circular mount after I finished punching in my father's number. The machine began to beep and the pokeball glowed for a little before disappearing. The machine shook and gurgled and soon another pokeball was shot through the pipe.
There was a screen next to the machine that displayed the pokemon that was just transferred. I looked at it and pressed yes before going back to my seat.

"Thanks Dad," I smiled, "Don't forget to watch me on t.v. okay?"

He laughed, "I won't forget."

We hung up after that and I walked out of the Pokemon Center to meet the bustling crowd.

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Harmony Isle was beautiful. Snow fell gently from the sky, covering the trees, the grass, and the ground with a light drizzle of a white sparkly blanket. When I breathed, I could see my breath and it was so tranquil. The stadium was more amazing though. It was very tall with lights attached around the building and large statues of ice pokemon surrounded the auditorium like building.
It was just breath taking.

I was already inside the building waiting for the man to scan the pokeballs of the pokemon I was going to use. I had to return Scouter into her ball so she could be scanned as well, which she didn't seem too happy about, but she understood nonetheless.

The man turned to me with the tray that held Pillow's, Joker's, and Scouter's balls inside the tray's sockets, "Here are your pokemon Mr. Xander. We hope you have fun at this tournament and I really hope you come here and travel some day."

I gave him my thanks and took the pokeballs from the tray. I placed Pillow's and Joker's pokeballs on my hat and released Scouter from her spherical prison, before placing attaching the contraption to my head. Scouter flew around and did flips before landing on top of my straw hat. After she landed I headed for the battlefield.

There was already a crowd around the battle field. On a raised platform was Nick Clause. He was a very plump and old man. He patted his stomach that just emphasized how plump he was. He was wearing the traditional Clause costume. He probably wasn't the real Santa Clause; however, I did doubt it a bit because his name was actually Nick Clause.

"Welcome all!" Nick Clause's voice boomed over the crowd that gathered around the battle field. "Welcome to Harmony Isle, home of the Tournament of Snow, 2011!" he hollered out, the crowd was cheering in excitement and joy. I clapped, "I hope you're all excited as I am, because we have a wide array of talented trainers gathered here today!" Clapping sounded once more, "Now, let's start the day off with the Preliminary battles! You lose your battle, you're out of the tournament, but if you win," he paused to step aside, revealing a man carrying a beautiful box made of ice, "You may get the chance to be crowned Holiday Hero!" he finished, taking out a crown from its cage. According to the website, it was crafted completely out of ice by one of the finest craftsmen of Unova. That wasn't saying much to me, but it probably say a lot to these Unovians.

"This is, of course, if you manage to beat the five year reigning champion, Reyna!" he announced. A woman appeared as the applause sounded once more. She looked to be about in her twenties. She walked with grace as she took the microphone from Nick Clause. A Hedreigon flew beside her, its three heads glaring at the massive crowd that formed around its master. The girl laughed and patted the hydra.

"Thank you Nick," Reyna spoke out. "It's an honor to be with you all for another year, and I am sure that this year will be even more exciting than years previous!" she paused and on cue the crowd cheered. I wasn't really sure what to do, but I just clapped along. If she were Brendan, the kid pretending to be an albino, who was currently Hoenn's champion, I would scream, "And now, let the Tournament of Snow begin!"

A statue of an Articuno flew over head. Blue sparkles lit the arena. Ice danced lighting the whole stadium. It was beautiful and this was also a sign. The tournament was going to commence.

There was a huge line by Nick Clause as he was handing out paper to everyone. When I made it to the front, he studied me carefully before handing me a folded piece of brown paper. I looked at it and unfolded it and read it as I got out of line. I looked around for the field I was assigned to and a man wearing an elf costume was holding a sign that corresponded with my folded piece of paper. He directed me to my side of the field and I waited for my opponent to show up.

Dan Selvix
The Tournament Of Snow Begins​

"Dan. Dan. Wake up." a voice called to me. I awoke, sleepily, and got up from my bed. I looked around, I was in my room. "Huh?" I muttered. I stared around, the place was just as littered as ever. My clothes could be found all over the room. The paintings I'd drawn hung upside down on the walls, and my desk was in tatters, covered in paintings of Conkeldurr and a few commissions for a guy and his Luvdisk. I grunted as I lifted my legs from the bed. "Dan, you gotta get up." the same tender, feminine voice came from my side. I looked to find it was my mother. I stood up. I looked down and realized I'd been wearing my clothes when I fell asleep. Probably exhausted from another day of training. "You need to get ready for the tournament." she said again. I looked at her. "Yeah, mom, I know." I said. "You're breakfast's on the table." she said, as she went downstairs. I know what you're thinking, no, I do not live with my mom. I just came over to visit my family before I left for the Tournament Of Snow. I'm sure you already know what that is.

I followed my mother downstairs sleepily, to find my father reading a newspaper at the table, and my little sister Anna eating her cornflakes. There, at my old seat on the table was a bowl of cornflakes. Ah, good memories. "Eat up." My father said. We were in Castelia City, of course, which was convenient for me because that was where the tournament was taking place, on an island called Harmony Island. Sounded just perfect for the tournament. If you ask me, I don't have a very competitive nature, but I was determined to win. And I was going to do it. Or at least, fight Reyna. She's really the fight I wanted to get to. The true best fight ever. She was winner five years in a row, and I wasn't planning on letting her get a sixth.

Anyway, I ate up my cornflakes like a Piranha. "Wow, slow down, boy." my father chuckled. My sister could only giggle as I got milk all over my face. "Maybe a little too excited." my mom added. "Mom, if I win this, I'll be ready for the league. Of course I'm overexcited." I explained. She just shrugged and continued on with her work around the kitchen. Finally, I was done, I cleaned my face with a towel. "I'm gonna get going. I'll win this. I know it." I said to my parents. After that, I grabbed my backpack with my six Pokemon in it, and left.

As I walked across the streets of Castelia I wondered what team to use. The preliminary only allowed three Pokemon to register, and I was trying to come up with the best team combination. I muttered to myself. "Jellicent is a must-have. Hmmm. Using Jellicent as my status Pokemon instead of Scolipede would provide efficiency into burn rather than poison, and since Jellicent has far better defenses it would be a more potent choice. So that's in. Next, I need an attacker who can take advantage of whatever Jellicent did. My only two attackers are Conkeldurr and Chandelure. Conkeldurr is slow and physical, and it can take good advantage from status because the opponent might be slowed from pain of burn. On the other hand. Chandelure can take advantage of Hex, but it has already got Will-O-Wisp itself, so I wouldn't need Jellicent if I got it out. Conkeldurr it is." I decided after a lot of muttering. Before I knew it, I was at the transport to the island.

The island was bigger than I'd expected. But most of the view was covered off by the big stadium that I would be battling in. It. Was. Huge. Almost as big as I remembered the Pokemon League to be. And it had decorations all over it. Beautiful. I gazed at it in amazement. By now, I'd decided I'd bring Ferrothorn, Jellicent and Conkeldurr. A potent combo. I hoped I would get through the preliminary. I predicted so, I mean, how hard could it be? I doubted anybody in the preliminary had trained as long as I. It was those in the following rounds whom would be more of a challenge. I looked forward to fighting them more. And most of all, Reyna.

The snow fell outside as I headed over to the counter. I had yet to register my Pokemon. I was in no hurry, and there seemed to be only one guy to wait for. He gave the woman at the counter three Pokeballs, and she registered them. A Stunfisk, a Raichu and a Grovyle popped up on the computer screen. I estimated this guy would be beat easily by whoever he'd be battling, unless his opponent was even worse. After he was done, the receptionist motioned for me to come forward. Without a word, I handed my Pokeballs, Ferrothorn, Conkeldurr and Jellicent, to the receptionist. As her machine scanned them, she asked "Planing on winning, or just having fun?" with a gentle smile. "Both." I replied. She seemed impressed. "Good answer." she said. Not a moment after, Conkeldurr appeared on her screen. "Quite a Pokemon you have there." she said, as she passed Conkledurr's Pokeball back to me and placed Ferrothorn's under the scanner. I simply nodded at her inquiry. Before long, Ferrothorn came up on the screen. She handed me his Pokeball too, and proceeded with Jellicent. After that, she gave her back to me. "Now please hand over the rest of your Pokemon for safe keeping here." she held out her hand. Reluctantly, I handed over Archeops, Chandelure, and Scolipede. "Thank you. You may proceed."

"Welcome, all!" a voice boomed across the stadium. Causing total silence in the crazy crowd above. Nick Claus. I stood in the corner of the stadium, hidden from the view of the crowd. Watching him with interest. Nick paused slightly before continuing. "Welcome to Harmony Isle, home of the Tournament of Snow, 2011!" he announced. The crowd went wild again. I honestly wondered how they could just cheer every time he said something. Probably to be on TV. I rolled my eyes at the thought, before Nick motioned for silence once more. "I hope you're all excited as I am, because we have a wide array of talented trainers gathered here today!" he boomed with his deep voice. I saw this as a compliment, and in return, clapped with the audience at Nick. "Now, let's start the day off with the Preliminary battles! You lose your battle, you're out of the tournament, but if you win," Nick started once more. I knew what was coming. "You may get the chance to be crowned Holiday Hero!" he said, the audience went wild as the ice Crwon was revealed. That was what I was aiming for. "That is, of course, if you manage to beat the five year reigning champion, Reyna!" he said. The audience went so loud I could hardly hear myself think. And I could see why. From the entrance stepped a beautiful young lady. Long, silky, blue hair and diamond eyes: Reyna. And she was my ticket to the crown. I grinned as I saw her step in. "Thank you, Nick." she said. She took a microphone herself. "It's an honor to be with you all for another year, and I am sure that this year will be even more exciting than years previous!" she announced, in her amazing voice. Wow. That voice was more warm and soothing than my mom's. I doubted a battle with her would be anything of the likes though, she was five year winner for a reason. "And now, let the Tournament of Snow begin!" Reyna said. The crowd went insane. Beyond even Arceus' limit, as a giant Articuno statue came to life, not literally, but it started glowing a beautiful bright blue light that looked vahuely familiar to the Moltres flame I'd seen at the League.

I got in line with all the others. The line was huge. I waited and waited and waited and waited for at least half an hour before I got to the front. Nick Claus looked at me with interest. "Good luck, young man." he said, handing me my paper. I walked out of line and unfolded it, and read it. "Hmmm." I muttered as I looked around for my field. I finally found it, a man in a tux was there, ready to guide me to my side of the field. I followed him as he motioned for me to do so. I was placed on the right side of the field, Pokemon with me, and waited for my opponent to appear.

Alyss Redford

No matter how many times Alyss came to Castelia City, she would never stop wishing it was just a bit less crowded. She clutched a Pokemon close to her chest, shaking as she walked. It was a miracle she didn't fall in a heap in the street by now. In her arms, her Vulpix mewled worriedly, Vix not wanting her to fall over. The girl looked down, her black briefly falling over her face. "I'm all right," she whispered as snow landed in her Pokemon's fur. The creature yelped in surprise despite the fact that it had been snowing for a while now. The girl giggled a bit and jumped at the sound of hearty, deep laughter. A tall man in black beamed down at her. Alyss reflexively shied away despite the man's brilliant smile.

"Well aren't you a sight for the Christmas cheer?" he boomed. She flinched and the man merely laughed again. "A shy one eh? You'd better be careful. There's a big world out there! Have a merry Christmas!" He waltzed off, whistling a merry tune. Alyss blinked, confused. Who was that man? Did she know him? Maybe he was simply a kind stranger. Yes, that was probably it.

"Pi?" Vix yipped. Alyss set him down next to her, the creature instantly clinging to her leg. Shaking her head a bit, she picked the baby back up again, walking onward. She thought she knew where she was going. That bridge over there. Oh no everybody was going that way. Was she going to fall and get stomped in the crowd? Aaah...

The white puff on her blue hat flopped between her eyes and she shook her head free of the obstacle, clearing herself of those depressing thoughts. Well they were depressing to her anyway. What would he say if he sawVix mewed in confusion as he was returned to his respective Pokeball with a click. Something told the young girl she needed her arms for this. Nodding with a bit more determination, she let herself slip into the crowd, moving towards Harmony Isle, the Tournament of Snow.

In actuality, Alyss wasn't in this to win it. She was in it for some training and to clear her head. Real life posed a challenge she couldn't quite tackle yet. Maybe the holidays would help. She certainly hoped so. Alyss was short so she had little idea about the beauty of the isle. She decided to discover that herself at a later date. She then heard a cheery, booming voice and leapt, startled. Oh... it was Nick Claus, the man in charge of the Tournament. He must have already started his speech. Oh great she was missing it. That was what she got for getting up late. Realizing there were likely no seats available, she stood and watched from the monitor in the building as people shouted across the crowd.

Wow... look at that ice! The image of the crown and the powerful woman sent a thrilling chill down Alyss' spine. Blinking blue eyes, she felt one of her Pokeballs shake. Maybe she should go register now...

Nodding to herself at the idea, she hurried to the desk, trying to avoid most of the line. Eventually reaching there, she paused for a moment to pick out her team members. The woman at the desk looked at her slightly impatiently. "Your team ma'am?"

Alyss almost flinched. "Leafeon, Ampharos, and Milotic." She blurted the names out quickly, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible. The woman nodded and typed them in.

"Your match is in 4B. Good luck." Alyss gave a timid bow of her head before rushing off to the field. This day was not turning out so great: she had slept in, had a stranger talk to her, missed most of the speech, and the secretary had been mad at her. Not good.

Thought holidays were cheery...

While all that had already occurred had happened, the young, yet skilled trainer, Chris "Somari" Player, was resting on a tree just outside the city. Being the lazy boy he is, he had just dozed off into a deep sleep... at least until a familiar jolt burst him into being wide awake.

"Whoa!", Somari said, as he jumped up, wide awake, "Volty! Can't ya let me get some 'fore the tournament?"

"Pi!", the young Pikachu yelled, pointing in the direction of the tournament, "Pika! Pika pi!"

"Huh...?", Somari wondered, somewhat drearily, "Yeah the tournament's going to happen over-"

Suddenly, a horrible thought occured to him. Quickly, he pulled out his Poketch. His surprised face said it all.

"Crud!", he exclaimed, "I overslept! The tournament's gonna start soon!!!!"

Having exclaimed this, he picked up his bag, grabbed Volty, and, in a way similar to a character in an anime, charged off to the tournament in what left a trail of dust behind him.

By the time he reached the registration booth, he was a heaving, gasping mess. "I'd... *huff*... like... *huff*... to join... *huff*... the tournament...!"

"Are you sure, sir?", the lady asked, "You seem rather young. And besides, registration is over."

"Wh-?!"

"I'm joking", the lady said with a kind smile on her face, "What is your name?"

He fell to his knees in relief. "Chris Player, though I prefer to be called 'Somari'".

"And what three Pokemon will you be using today?"

"Today, I'll be using my Pikachu, Volty, my Growlithe, Ember, and my Venusaur, Gardenback."

"Very well", she said, "Now then, I believe you should be heading in. You've already missed the introductory speech."

"Gnnn...!!!!"

Quickly, Somari ran into the stadium, where he was escorted by a suited gentleman to his arena.

Still slightly gasping, he mustered the strength to grin as he stood tall, ready for his battle.

Byron MacTavish

The streets of Castelia City were more crowded than ever. The streets filled with people, young and old, pushing a shoving their way through the city, some doing their last minute Christmas shopping and others just trying to get home for the holidays.

Byron MacTavish however, took no notice of these people. He was focused on the Tournament of Snow that was starting soon.

"Torchic, Tor-Tor-chic," Byron's baby Torchic shivered as he sat on Byron's shoulder.

"I know Torchic," Byron agreed with Torchic. "It's nothing like Hoenn."

Byron was right. It never snowed in Hoenn. It was more of a tropical region. Byron thought he could handle it, but his Pokemon seemed to be having difficulties adapting.

As Harmony Isle came into view, something hit Byron like a ton of bricks. A large amount of snow fell from a tree.

I hate snow! Bryon thought to himself as he swept the remaining snow off his shoulders.

Byron finally reached the front of the registration line.

"Hello sir, your name please?" the woman asked.

"Byron MacTavish."

"And your team?" she asked.

Byron didn't respond right away. He hadn't even thought about the three Pokemon he'd be using in the preliminaries.

"Uh… excuse me young man, I need your team," the woman told Byron.

"C'mon buddy, hurry things up!" a voice yelled from the back of the line.

"We don't have all day, hurry it up!" another voice yelled.

Byron pulled out three Pokeballs and handed them to the woman.

"I'll use my Zangoose, Pikachu and Gallade."

"Ok all registered, good luck," the woman handed back Byron's three Pokeballs.

"Welcome, all!" Nick Claus's voice booms all over the stadium as civilians and trainers alike file in. Today was the day that the beloved Tournament of Snow was to begin, and Nick Claus was only too happy to be the one hosting it. However, he did have this nagging feeling in his gut . . .

Nick shook off the feeling and took a look around the stadium. The place was huge; probably close to the size of the Pokemon League, and it was also quite beautiful. The stadium was a calming blue and white shade, with statues of Delibird, Stantler, winter Sawsbuck, and all sorts of Ice-type Pokemon littering the area. There was also a plethora of ice scultptures, some of which served a second function as a fountain, and all of the water was an incredible crystal blue. Even though the place was covered in snow, you could just feel warmth emanating from it, amplified by all the feelings of Christmas that were in the air.

Nick, whom was standing on a stage in the middle of the stadium, addressed the crowd as the seats in the stands continued to fill. "Welcome to Harmony Isle, home of the Tournament of Snow, 2011!" There was a loud roar of cheering and applaused from the crowd, but all went silent again as Nick motioned for quiet. "I hope you're all excited as I am, because we have a wide array of talented trainers gathered here today!" Another round of cheering from the crowd. "Now, let's start the day off with the Preliminary battles! You lose your battle, you're out of the tournament, but if you win," Nick stepped to the side as a man carried out a beautiful case of ice. "You may get the chance to be crowned Holiday Hero!" Nick opened the cage and revealed the incredible item inside. It was the Ice Crown; a very intricate and beautiful crown made completely of ice, and it just had a way of taking your breath away whenever you saw it.

"That is, of course, if you manage to beat the five year reigning champion, Reyna!" This time the cheering and applause was deafening as a young woman, about twenty four years of age, walked out and onto the stage. She was gorgeous, having long blue hair, incredible eyes the color of crystals, and she wore a stunning dress: a light blue with some white around it, and although it was rather simple it was incredible.

"Thank you, Nick," Reyna smiled as she began to address the crowd. "It's an honor to be with you all for another year, and I am sure that this year will be even more exciting than years previous!" Another huge wave of cheers burst forth from the crowd. "And now, let the Tournament of Snow begin!" Reyna raised a hand and, as if by magic, the giant Articuno statue that loomed over the stadium glowed intensly as ice swirled around it. It gave the same, or perhaps even greater effect, than the Moltres Torch of Indigo Plateau. It was the symbol of the Tournament of Snow, and its lighting signaled the beginning of one of the greatest events of the year.

Byron was ready… more ready than he'd ever been before.

This is Cadet's first visit to a city in months

Emerging from the doors of the Pokemon Center onto the bustling streets of Castelia, Cadet had to retreat to the wall of the building in order to avoid the rush of people. Castelia City boomed with Holiday life, lights blinking excitedly even in the day time. People stressed over holiday shopping hurried around the port areas, faces varying from stressed to excited to downright grim.

Looking down at her Jolteon, Kid, Cadet smiled weakly. "I forget this many people even exist." Kid looked up at her knowingly, letting out a small puff of a bark.

Shifting the weight of her backpack, Cadet navigated through the crowds down to the docks, hoping for a view of their destination. Harmony Isle shone brilliantly across the sea, an array of green and red light, covered, like everything this time of year, in snow. For the first time in a long time, Cadet felt totally revived and ready to tackle the tournament ahead. Her clothes and hair were clean, her boots had new laces, and Pudding had recently evolved into a Sealeo. He's almost all grown up, she thought, imagining how much he would enjoy the winter weather.

Not normally one for super competitive battle, Cadet had decided to join the Tournament of Snow after a couple of particularly bad nights. Winter in Unova was a nasty time to travel, and Cadet was excited to give her Pokemon a bigger challenge than chasing Buneary through the snow.

----

Cadet stared blankly at the woman behind the desk, who looked at her expectantly. "Only three Pokemon?" Cadet asked again, worry soaked into her voice.

"Yes, you may register three Pokemon." The woman said patiently. "You cannot enter the stadium before choosing." So hurry up. The stadium on Harmony Isle stood tall and noble, beckoning the waiting trainers in.

"But what about the others?" Cadet murmured, reaching into her bag to pull out the pokeballs.

"We will keep them here." Was the quick response.

Giving a quick kiss to each of the Pokeballs, Cadet handed over Kid, Pudding, and Zazu to be registered. Jolteon, Sealeo, and Archeops seemed like good choices for whatever might lie inside the grand stadium architecture.

---

Cadet found herself standing in a battlefield with many other trainers, Kid relaxed and leaning into her legs. She'd left her bag in the lobby, holding only the necessity battle items with her. Out of the corner of her eyes Cadet tried to figure out the competition, but her attention was soon captured by Nick Clause himself.

"Welcome, all!" Nick Claus's voice boomed all over the stadium, and anticipation ran from Cadet's toes up to her fingers. This was the sort of thing she and her brother had dreamed about when they were little. She pet Kid with one hand and stared intently up at the jolly man.

The tournament had begun.

THE TOURNAMENT OF SNOW - Garret Turner

Garret's skin became covered in goosebumps during the minuscule second that he had nothing but a black short sleeved shirt on. He was switching out his sleeveless hoodie for a baggy and long sleeved one. The red sleeves came halfway between his knuckles and wrists and he tucked his fists inside of them.

"It's freezing here!" He chattered to himself, his breath becoming visible in a cloud of white steam. He shuffled his feet across the packed down snow on the streets of Castelia City, having quite a bit of fun sliding his shoes on the surface. His black jeans barely protected him from the cold, which was actually quite gentle, but to Garret it was freezing. He grew up in a tropical are for a great deal of his life so he didn't handle cold well. He shouldered his bag as it began to slip down his arm. It was only a small cloth sack, but it carried his few possessions and that was good enough for him.

He was taken away by the incredible skyscrapers and concrete edifices that covered every inch of Castelia. His pokemon also weren't used to this sort of whether but they were in their pokeballs.

Garret watched as the masses slowed through the streets, going in and out of shops, but it seemed as if the traffic funneled onto an impressive bridge that loomed over the crystal blue lake that had sheets of broken ice, wandering vagrants over the surface. A combination of metal and stone held the bridge up through intricate arcs. Garret gazed at this architectural marvel and was impressed a great deal. Neither Sinnoh, nor Hoenn had such advanced architecture.

"Is there anyplace where someone can get some food here. I could eat a horse." Garret said, while his teeth chattered. As he said this, it seemed as if by divine intervention, a neon sign flickered on, featuring the bright red words: DAN'S DINER. Garret laughed to himself as he approached the Diner. It was painted cream white and had a small set of concrete steps leading up to a glass door. Garret ascended the steps and pushed open the door with the side of his arm by leaning on it. A bell jingled and a jolly man with an apron greeted him from behind the counter.

"Hey there friend! Welcome to Dan's, can I get you something to eat?" The man was young, probably 17 at most.

"Yeah, I guess." Garret answered, somewhat disconcerted by the warm greeting he had received. "Can I have that?" He asked pointing to a cold beef patty that was lying in a pool of grease on the griddle that the employee stood in front of, it had already been cooked and didn't look too appetizing but behind hungry eyes it was a filet mignon.

"Ummmmmm, okay." The employee furrowed his brow in a state of obvious confusion. He shoveled it off of the grill and onto a bun. "Do you want that for here or to go?" He asked. Putting his happy semblance back on.

"To go. I've got places to be." Garret said impatiently and he grabbed the burger out of the employee's hand impatiently before the man could even put it in a bag. He slapped $10 on the metal counter, right next to the register. "Keep the change, happy holidays."

He left the diner as the cashier said, "Tournament trainers, piss me off." Under his breath. Garret heard it but left without a word.


He made it to the registration desk with no problem. And he was having such a fun time looking at the city that he forgot how sore his arms were from training yesterday, but they only hurt when he raised them.

"Name, Trainer Number, and ID please." The registrar demanded as Garret filled out the sheet he was given. "Great, now we need to know which three pokemon you'll be using today." Garret filled out the allotted spaces on the paper. Torterra, Salamence, and Slowbro. "Good Luck, man." He said with genuine enthusiasm.

"Don't need it." Garret replied.

"Humble, I see."

He took the ticket he was given with the number arena he was supposed to report to printed on it in bold, and walked through the door that the man signaled toward.

Garret walked toward it and walked over to the arena. It was on the outer edge of where the arenas were. In the center of this see of trainers, a podium was erected, and on top of it, stood a man with a beard. He began a speech and Garret only caught the words "Tournament, trainers, battle, lose, win, and champion." He saw a young lady with blue hair walk onto the stage at some time during the speech and she began to talk. He didn't really care what she had to say either, but he was excited for his battle, and a bit impatient. But he noticed the lady on the podium perform some grand gesture, and he was dazzled as the seemingly plain statue of Articuno that stood on the crown of the stadium come to life in a sense, and it whirled in a miniature blizzard, signaling the start of the tournament.