This simple one-shot was inspired by the children's books I read when I was little and anunnamedgalaxy's beautiful artwork displayed in the media ❄️💙☃️

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･✧

The month of December brought mild white winters to the Sinnoh region. Snowflakes glided through the frostbitten air, dancing on the cool breezes. They landed wherever they pleased, from rocks to lakes to treetops. Everything turned white—even Pokémon.

A young Alolan Sandshrew sneezed as a flurry tickled her nose. She jumped and shivered then pawed at her muzzle. Then she grew curious; what did the snow taste like? Closing her eyes, she stuck out her small tongue to eat a flurry. She tilted her head. Nothing, she learned. The snow tasted like nothing. Curiosity sated, she buried her face back into the soft red scarf her trainer gifted her.

"Snowbelle," the said trainer, Kory, called. He set down his strange, wooden toy to cup his gloved hands around his mouth. "C'mon, Snowy, you gotta keep up. We're almost to the top."

Snowbelle blinked, wondering how he and her mother, an Alolan Sandslash called Vanilla, had gotten so far ahead. Their matching red scarves stood out like beacons in the snow. Vanilla waved her paw, encouraging her daughter to hurry.

Snowbelle waddled as fast as she could through Kory's kicked-up path. Her ears twitched in delight at the satisfying crunch of snow crushing beneath her weight.

Kory chuckled at her cute running style, saying to himself more than his Pokémon, "How can you be so clumsy in the snow? You're an Ice-type."

Vanilla's chest rumbled, mimicking the trainer's laughter. Snowbelle hid her face in her paws, flustered. Sensing her embarrassment, Vanilla nuzzled her cheek in a reassurance. Snowbelle warmed at the loving gesture.

"I have an idea," Kory announced.

He laid his toy on the ground, letting Snowbelle see it clearly for the first time. It was three times her length and separated into two main parts. The top portion appeared to be a wooden slab, similar to the flooring at home. On the bottom, metal bars propped the toy up.

Kory picked up Snowbelle, causing her to squeak, then placed her atop this curious object. He said, "This is a sled: you ride it down hills to go fast. You can ride it 'til we get to the top so you don't get lost."

Snowbelle looked at Vanilla for comfort. Her mother nodded; the sled was safe.

"Okay." Kory picked up the rope attached to the sled. "Let's go!"

The sled jerked as the trainer began pulling it. A terrified squeal escaped Snowbelle. She leaped off the contraption, straight into her startled mother's arms. The two tumbled through the snow, sending the icy wisps flying skyward.

Snowbelle flailed, having somehow gotten herself stuck face-first into a snowdrift. She clawed furiously at the cold crystals and struggled to free herself. Relief filled her as two human hands wrapped around her body and pulled her free. However, it was short-lived as Snowbelle twisted and saw that a girl she'd never seen before was handling her.

"Sandshrew!" Snowbelle bawled, startling the stranger.

Snowbelle flailed her body and jerked free from the stranger's grasp. Frightened tears streamed down her face as she scampered to hide behind Kory. She clung to him tightly, claws ripping his pants as she trembled. Kory pried her from his leg, lifting her to his chest. She hid her face in his winter coat instead.

"Hey, you're okay, everything's okay," he murmured, gentle as could be. Kory lifted his gaze from her to his friend, apologizing, "Sorry about that, Jiao. Snowbelle's only a week old. She's scared of her own shadow."

The girl laughed sheepishly. "It's fine."

Kory lifted Snowbelle's chin and turned his body so when she looked over his shoulder she saw Jiao. He prompted her, "Why don't you tell Jiao, 'thank you?' You don't have to be scared of her, she's an old friend of mine."

Instead, Snowbelle ducked her face away.

"She'll come around eventually," Kory reassured. He picked up the sled's rope and started dragging it again, grinning when Vanilla climbed atop it and sprawled out on her belly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Jiao shrugged. "It's been a while since I came to Snover Hill. I want to try out my new snowboard..."

Snowbelle snuck glances at the girl. Maybe she wasn't dangerous. The longer they talked, the more Kory smiled. Snowbelle liked it when her trainer was happy. She decided Jiao wasn't bad.

Snowbelle's stare lowered to the sled. That was bad. She hated how it wobbled and jolted. It wasn't dangerous, but it was scary. Snowbelle scrutinized the way it shifted on the snow, especially since Vanilla slept on it. Inanimate or not, she wouldn't let it hurt her mother.

Before Snowbelle knew it, Kory had stopped his trudging. She wiggled to see what her trainer did then froze.

Lying in front of them was a steep, downhill slope with dozens of indented paths. The ribbon-like trails wove around pine trees and boulders, save for one that ended at a crooked stump. Snowbelle had to stretch herself halfway out of Kory's arms to catch a glimpse of the bottom.

"Welcome to Snover Hill, Snowy," Kory said, resting his chin atop her head. "Looks fun, right?"

Snowbelle's eyes widened to the size of the moon. He couldn't be implying what she imagined he was.

Jiao interrupted her thoughts, chirping, "I'll see you later, Kory!"

The girl pulled on her ski goggles and adjusted her helmet. She slid her feet into holds on her snowboard and rocked her body, nearing the edge of the hill. Snowbelle watched in horror as Jiao's weight took hold of the situation and propelled her forwards, zooming her down the slope. Jiao's figure grew smaller and smaller as she descended as if she were using Minimize. Finally, she disappeared from sight.

A whimper escaped the young Pokémon. Snowbelle tore herself from Kory's grasp and dropped to all fours, ready to bolt in the opposite direction. She would never go down that hill! Preparing to sprint, she wriggled her haunches only for two hooks to catch her tail and draw her backward.

"Sand," Vanilla grunted as she lugged her restless child back to their trainer. Her pitch lowered, chiding, "Sandslash. Slash."

Snowbelle went limp, glaring at the cloudy sky. She decided she disliked the snow—Ice-type or not—since it was the reason they came here. Her icy expression thawed when Kory's face appeared, leaning over her with a half-smile.

"Okay, so maybe Snover Hill is a little scary," he said.

Snowbelle protested, "Shrew!"

"Okay, maybe a lot scary." He squatted and took a seat in the snow beside her. "But it gets better with time. You know, your mama used to be scared of Snover Hill."

Snowbelle's ears perked. Her mother, scared of something? Vanilla was the most fearless Pokémon she knew. Despite puffing up in defense at the revelation, Vanilla confessed to it with a slight nod.

Kory regained Snowbelle's attention as he fixed her scarf, admitting, "When I was little, I was scared of it, too. Your mama and me went down Snover Hill for the first time together. We were so scared we were shaking!"

Together, Kory and Vanilla reenacted the scene. They exaggerated their shivering, shuddering so hard they got Snowbelle to giggle.

"So what we did was this," he continued, embracing his storytelling mode. "We closed our eyes and said, 'I'm small and scared, but I'm not scared of snow!' three whole times. After that, poof!" He mimed an explosion with his fingers, wiggling them for an added effect. "We weren't scared anymore!"

Snowbelle tilted her head, wondering how that worked.

Kory sensed her doubt, quickly claiming, "It's true, I promise. We had so much fun after getting over our fears that we made it a tradition to come here every year after the first snow so we could do it all over again." He took her paws in his hands. "Close your eyes, Snowy."

Apprehension prickled Snowbelle's nerves, but she obliged.

He squeezed her paws and said, "Say it with me: I'm small and scared, but I'm not scared of snow!"

Snowbelle imitated Kory's words in soft trills that harmonized with his rhythmic cadence.

"I'm small and scared, but I'm not scared of snow!"

"Sand, Sandshrew, shrew, sand, sand, Sandshrew, shrew, sand!"

"One more time!" Kory's volume boosted in passionate excitement. "I'm small and scared, but I'm not scared of snow!"

Snowbelle matched his vigor, crying, "Sand, Sandshrew, shrew, sand, sand, Sandshrew, shrew, sand!"

"Okay, now open your eyes!"

Heart racing, Snowbelle obeyed. She squinted against the blinding light reflecting off the white snow, wincing as her eyes burned. Now adjusted, she saw Kory's and Vanilla's beaming faces.

"See? It's not so bad now," Kory said, pinching her cheeks. "Let's go."

Snowbelle squeaked as her trainer scooped her into her arms, laying his hand over her face and obscuring her vision. She tracked the sounds of Kory moving an object that crunched the snow. His might overpowered her own, preventing her from squirming and seeing what was going on.

Kory set her down, and Vanilla licked her cheek. Vanilla enveloped her daughter in a back-hug, fanning her breath against her daughter's ears. Whatever they were sitting on shifted as Kory came close to them, judging by how his scent intensified. Snowbelle whined, confused as to what was happening.

"Hold her right, Nila," Kory grunted.

Kory lifted his hand, blinding Snowbelle with sunlight once again. She rubbed her eyes then looked up at what was in front of her. Her heart dropped.

They were dangling off the edge of Snover Hill's slope.

"Sandshrew!" Snowbelle wailed at the top of her lungs.

Vanilla's limbs locked around her, preventing her from darting away. Snowbelle thrashed as hard as she could, but the one-week-old Sandshrew's strength was no match for her mother. She shrieked in absolute terror as Kory pushed the sled then jumped atop it, launching the three downhill.

Wind whipped past Snowbelle's, nearly tearing off her scarf. The world blurred into a giant, indecipherable snowy mass. She flattened her ears and pressed herself against Vanilla, too shocked to make a single peep. Behind her, Kory whooped and hollered in joy, cheering as the sled's pace accelerated. His enthusiasm rubbed off on Vanilla, causing the Sandslash to release her own thrilled cheers.

Halfway down the hill, Snowbelle's fear subsided as she absorbed her family's glee. Never mind her rapidly beating heart and shaky paws, this was fun. She squealed in delight as wispy snow sprays showered them in a fine layer of frost, and licked the snowflakes off her muzzle.

"Shrew!" she cried in exhilaration.

Disappointment struck Snowbelle as the sled slid to the bottom and gradually slowed to a stop. The three of them panted heavily, gathering themselves after the ride.

Kory broke the quietness with a bark of laughter. "I told you it was fun," he said, pulling both his Pokémon into a tight hug. "Did'ja guys like it?"

The two chorused happy trills, tails wagging and chests rumbling.

Snowbelle jumped off the sled and began hopping from one foot to the other in a silly dance to relieve her excitement. She spun in circles and waved her short arms, letting loose the nerves that had burdened her before. Her quirky antics made Vanilla and Kory laugh, so she overdid her moves even more to amuse them.

Kory's smile stretched ear-to-ear. He asked, "Want to do it again?"

Snowbelle hopped, bouncing at his feet. "Sand!"

"Awesome. Last one to the top is a rotten egg."

Snowbelle dropped to all fours. Vanilla bent forward. Kory tried not to coo over how cute his Pokémon were.

"Ready."

Snowbelle decided snow wasn't that bad.

"Set."

Actually, she quite liked it now.

"Go!"

Fears forgotten, Snowbelle dashed into the winter wonderland to tackle on Snover Hill once again.