Brycen appears in Pokémon Black and White as the Gym Leader of Icirrus City's Gym. This Gym will be the seventh to be challenged by the player. Trainers who defeat Brycen will receive the Freeze Badge, along with TM79 (Frost Breath). He also reappears at N's Castle where he and the other Unova Gym Leaders hold off the Seven Sages.
After successfully defeating Brycen in a Gym battle, Cheren and Bianca are waiting for the player outside of the Gym. Brycen notices the Shadow Triad, who are invisible to everyone else, and demands they reveal themselves. The Shadow Triad does so and tells the player to head to Dragonspiral Tower.
Once at Dragonspiral Tower, the player must battle through Team Plasma Grunts to reach the top. At one point Brycen and Cheren stay behind to hold off Team Plasma while the player goes ahead. After the player reaches the top floor and N flies away with ZekromB/ReshiramW, Brycen arrives and asks what happened. Later, Brycen helps Cedric Juniper investigate Dragonspiral Tower.
In the past, Brycen was a movie star, but retired from acting after injuring himself during the filming of a reckless action scene. Unsure of what to do with himself, he took the advice of Alder and became a Trainer. He traveled alone to an icy cave and trained in silence to gain as much knowledge as possible. Brycen also places importance on concealing his true identity from others. He later decided to return to acting following the downfall of Team Plasma's first incarnation, hoping to communicate the need for a bond between Pokémon and people with his films.
"No matter how many battles I fight, I don't know what strength is. Perhaps you can find the answer."
"Only those who are weak need to flaunt their strength."
Post game
"In the past, when I was hurt and depressed, Alder shared this with me... There is strength in being with other people and Pokémon. Receiving their support makes you stronger. The young man named Cheren also seems to understand this now."
"I know you are there! Why don't you show yourselves?
"Dragonspiral Tower?! What's going on? Hey! Tell me... Now, hang on. Young man, if you're here for a Gym challenge, hang on for a bit. I've got to head to Dragonspiral Tower!"
Dragonspiral Tower
"<Player>! We'll hold them here! You go on ahead!"
"I'm fine, but there's no time!"
"How could this happen?"
"Calm down! First, we go back! It's more important to decide what to do next than analyze what just happened."
Don't limit yourself to hot or cold, but use them both to your best advantage.
National Gymquirer
Jingle: "Woo hoo! All right! It's 'The National Gymquirer'!"
Page: "That's right! We collect the hottest gossip about Gym Leaders seen around town! Here is today's letter. From someone going by the name TheFridge. Thank yooou! 'Brycen is too cool! He's always acting like Mr. Tough Guy, like he doesn't even feel the cold...but recently, I heard him sneeze inside his chilly Gym!' I guess even a super-cool Gym Leader can catch a cold. Feel better soon, Brycen! 'The National Gymquirer'! We eagerly await your letters!"
Brycen and his Beartic in a movie called "Enter the Beartic".
Brycen made his anime debut in Guarding the Guardian of the Mountain! where he and his Beartic saved Ash and his friends from a falling boulder. Cilan was the first to recognize him as a famous movie star who had the lead role in many movies up until he decided to quit acting during the filming of another movie. He explained that he had come to the mountains for training and started to find traps set up by hunters.
Ash was interested in Brycen's training and tried to copy him and Beartic with his Krokorok, without any good results. During the break in his training he was asked why he decided to not act in movies anymore and he explained it was because of an accident that happened on set. Nobody was hurt but he felt that the accident wouldn't have happened if he was trained better.
Beartic is the first Pokémon Brycen was revealed to have on hand. Aside from being his battling partner, Beartic had also starred in some movies alongside him. It was first seen in Guarding the Guardian of the Mountain!, training with Brycen. It was later used to stop poacher Rizzo and his two Jellicent.
Beartic reappeared during Ash's Gym battle with Brycen. It was able to easily defeat Pignite despite the type disadvantage with its super-effective Brine and Aerial Ace attacks, leaving Ash with just Krokorok. Beartic was repeatedly able to block Krokorok's attacks, until the Desert Croc Pokémon finally scored direct hits on it with Stone Edge and Dig. After this, Krokorok grabbed two stones from his own Stone Edge, and collided with Beartic's Aerial Ace with the stones in his hands, defeating the Freezing Pokémon and earning Ash the Freeze Badge.
Vanillish was the first Pokémon Brycen used against Ash in their Gym battle. At first, Ash sent out Krokorok. However, after Krokorok had failed to land any hits on Vanillish and taken some damage, Ash recalled him and sent out Scraggy instead. Scraggy found it difficult to work properly on an icy field, and was at first unable to land any hits. He was, however, able to block Vanillish's Icicle Spear with his "pants" before firing a Focus Blast. By a stroke of luck, Focus Blast hit Vanillish from behind, and Scraggy was able to finish the Icy Snow Pokémon with a Headbutt.
Cryogonal was the second Pokémon Brycen used against Ash in their Gym battle. Ash's Scraggy was unable to land a single hit on the Crystallizing Pokémon before he was knocked out by a powerful Aurora Beam. Next Ash sent out his Pignite, whose Flame Charge was blocked by Cryogonal's Reflect. However, despite scoring several hits on Pignite with Rapid Spin and Frost Breath, Cryogonal was unable to stand out the Fire Pig Pokémon's Fire Pledge, and was knocked out.
Brycen, along with his fellow Gym Leaders, appears at the Celestial Tower to discuss what to do about Team Plasma. Later, he and the other Gym Leaders faced the Shadow Triad in Nacrene City to protect the Dark Stone from being stolen. Despite having the upper hand with his techniques, Brycen and the other Gym Leaders fell to the Shadow Triad's trump card, the Kami trio.
However, Brycen managed to escape the tornado created by the Kami trio while the other Gym Leaders were taken away. After finding an unconscious Black after he was knocked out by a Team Plasma member, he takes the boy with the intent to train him.
Cryogonal is one of Brycen's Pokémon. It was first seen with its Trainer at the Celestial Tower. Later, it was used to battle the Shadow Triad and used its ice chains to easily defeat their Pokémon. Later, it was used the Gym battle against Black's Buoh, but lost.
Beartic is one of Brycen's Pokémon. It was first seen with its Trainer at the Icirrus Gym. It fought Black's Goura in their Gym battle where it nearly defeated it with its powerful claws. Before it could win the battle, Goura evolved into Carracost, giving it the power to beat it.
Vanillish are some of Brycen's Pokémon. They were first seen with their Trainer at the Icirrus Gym. One later fought in a Gym battle against Black's Musha and Goura. It was defeated by the latter with Scald, which melted the snow off its body.
None of their moves are known.
Trivia
His Japanese Leader title is アイス マスク.
Brycen is the only Ice-typespecialist to have a team consisting of only pure Ice-type Pokémon.
Incidentally, in the Pokémon Adventures manga, the villain codenamed "Mask of Ice" has a name similar to Brycen's leader title.
In the anime, Brycen is the only Gym Leader from Black and White to have one of his Pokémon use the TMmove he gives out.
Brycen's Cryogonal has exactly the same moveset in the anime as it has in Black and White.
