Pryce (Yanagi in original Japanese language versions) is in charge of the Glacier Badge, and resides in Mahogany Town. He is an expert on Ice types. His signature Pokemon are Swinub and Piloswine. Pryce's name may be derived from the word ice.
In the anime Pryce starts out as a cold and abrasive man who believes that Pokemon are for battling and nothing more, as a result of an incident from his youth. During a storm, his beloved Piloswine disappeared and Pryce believed it to have abandoned him. During an encounter with Ash, the two of them are trapped underground and come across a frozen Piloswine, which turns out to be Pryce's. Realizing that it had tried to find healing herbs (the two had previously been badly burned by a Magmar), Pryce reconciles with his reunited Pokemon and turns over a new leaf, once again seeing Pokemon as friends. Afterwards, Pryce battles Ash having his Dewgong defeated by Cyndaquil and Piloswine by Pikachu winning Ash the glacier badge.
In the manga In Pokemon Adventures, it is revealed that Pryce is actually the leader of a newly resuscitated Team Rocket under the guise of the Mask of Ice, with the intent of controlling time. Half of the Mask of Ice's body is composed of ice, while the other half is Pryce sitting in a wheelchair, explaining why he retains no damage when his lower half is attacked. He is able to shoot ice because of the Swinub sitting in his lap. He was the only Johto Gym Leader other than Whitney who was not challenged by Suicune, due to his connections with Team Rocket. He has various types of Pokemon, but is known mostly as an Ice-type user. He owns a particularly powerful Delibird to supplement his Swinub, as well as a special Lapras, whose parents were killed in an icy wasteland years ago. The sadness of the Lapras prompted Pryce to research methods of controlling and reversing time so he could go back to save his Lapras' parents. He was also rumored to have had connections with Team Rocket much earlier. While facing Gold, he says that he lied about his Pokemon just being tools to him, as he really believes they should be loved, and be symbols of love as well. But thanks to Celebi, who played a song his childhood friends had written for him, Pryce became happy again, and fell into the clouds of time to save Gold and his Pichu. He defeats Erika in the Gym Leaders competition.
Vova
