Snowpoint City Pokémon Gym Leader: Candice
The Diamond Dust Girl!
The Snowpoint City Gym is a Gym consisting of a four-floor ice rink with slides connecting the various floors and snowballs blocking progress through the Gym. To reach the Gym Leader, Trainers have to slide around the Gym and destroy the snow balls blocking the way.
The Snowpoint Gym appeared in Sliding Into Seventh!, where Ash challenged Candice to a Gym battle for his seventh Sinnoh League Badge. In the battle, Ash used his Grotle, Staraptor, Gliscor, and Chimchar, even though the first three were weak against Candice's Ice Pokémon. Despite this, Ash was able to defeat Candice and earn himself the Icicle Badge.
Sneasel was the first Pokémon used by Candice during her Gym Battle against Ash when she went up against Grotle. Although Sneasel had an obvious type-advantage and could skate across the icy battlefield, Grotle was able to use its new defensive battle technique to absorb Sneasel's attacks and was then able to knock her out with Rock Climb.
A female Snover was Candice's third Pokémon to be used, and she proved herself to be a powerful battler, knowing plenty of Ice and Grass attacks which she used to defeat Ash's Gliscor. However, Snover was knocked out by Ash's Chimchar.
In Sliding Into Seventh!, Abomasnow was Candice's final Pokémon in her Gym battle against Ash. Abomasnow knocked out Staraptor and Grotle before Chimchar defeated her with Flame Wheel.
The Snowpoint Gym appeared in Striking Out Snover and To and Fro with Froslass, where Platinum entered the Gym in order to tell Candice about her plan of going to Lake Acuity to stop Team Galactic from capturing Uxie. However, it turned out that she was forced to clear the Gym before she could meet Candice. After quickly plowing through the Gym puzzle and Gym Trainers, Platinum reached Candice and started a Gym battle with her. Wanting to get to Lake Acuity as soon as possible, Platinum intended to finish the battle quickly.
As Platinum had recently parted ways with Diamond and Pearl in order for each of them to protect one of the lake guardians, she was still lacking some of her own self-confidence, which she had previously received from her friends. Thankfully, due to Candice scolding her of her half-baked efforts, Platinum was able to make herself use her boldest strategies and beat Candice, earning her her seventh Badge. After the battle, Candice told Platinum how she had been contacted by Byron about the Team Galactic crisis, and agreed to come help Platinum and Maylene fight the villainous team at Lake Acuity.
The Gym is also inhabited by numerous wild Ice-type Pokémon, one of which was caught by Platinum after the Gym battle and later given to Diamond.
Snover was the first Pokémon used by Candice during her Gym battle against Platinum against her Empoleon. Due to her opponent's Steel-type advantage, she was quickly defeated by a powerful Metal Claw. However, before she fainted, she had fired a Seed Bomb, which hit the Emperor Pokémon in the head, defeating her.
Candice's secret weapon in her match against Platinum is Froslass, who to counter her used her Rapidash. With his speed, Rapidash was able to avoid Froslass's icy attack, but when he was finally hit, Rested to be saved for Candice's last Pokémon, only to be hit by a powerful Wake-Up Slap, nearly knocking him out. After switching with Abomasnow, and the latter being defeated, she went against Lopunny, and stopped its jumping strategy and defeated her. Just before she could claim victory, however, she was defeated by Rapidash, who had been fully restored by Lopunny's Healing Wish, winning Platinum the battle. After the Gym battle, she was taken to Lake Acuity where she was defeated by Jupiter. Later, at the Spear Pillar, Candice gave her to Platinum.
Abomasnow is one of Candice's main Pokémon. She was first seen when Platinum had bumped into a Graveler while skiing. She took her to the city so she could rest. Afterwards, she was used in her Gym match and was Candice's third Pokémon, against Platinum's newly caught Lopunny. She first successfully hit the Rabbit Pokémon with an Ice Shard, but it could stand it. Despite being an inexperienced member of her team, Lopunny was swiftly able to avoid the massive Pokémon's Focus Blasts, and to defeat her with a nimble Jump Kick.
Snowpoint Gym is one of three Ice-type Gyms that are in the seventh in their respective regions. The other two are the Mahogany Gym in Johto and Icirrus Gym in Unova.
Both of these Gym's Badges share their name with Snowpoint Gym's Badge in different languages.
Due to an oversight in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, it is possible to softlock oneself, as the puzzle was never designed for diagonal movement.
The player can also exploit diagonal movement to climb the slopes, and eventually reach Candice without battling other Trainers in the Gym.