Setting
Beware using fire pokemon, for the intense flames they emit may turn the path into a watery grave for you, eventually sealing you into the ice itself as a warning for passerby.
This place is far more dangerous than it used to be, and it has started to become commonplace for officials to advise trainers not to take the ice path at all. However, for upcoming trainers it has become a testament to Clair's stubbornness that she has a tendency to refuse to allow challengers to battle her if they have not braved the depths of Ice Path first. It's unknown whether she realizes just how terrible conditions down in the path have become.
"Oh, come on buddy," Winter tried to reassure him, "We need to be at our best when we go up against that android Titania told us about. This climate training will do wonders in helping out with that!"
The trainer could hear the distant grumble in his best friend's throat. Lucky seemed very distant towards the idea as they made their way through the Ice Path. Winter could sympathize. He was pretty cold too. He purposefully dressed a little bit lighter than one should be upon crossing through this terrain so as to strengthen himself to the conditions. Mount Silver was a cold place after all. And if Winter could make it here with nothing more than a parka and a sweatshirt, he could make it there fully prepared.
Winter continued to keep the mood light, "Remember when we took this path through to get to Blackthorne City and beat Veena to the Gym Badge? Man, Glist loves this place...I can understand why."
Lucky hopped onto Winter's side and proceeded to tap the PokeBalls, letting Winter know he should probably let them explore.
Winter understood immediately, "Oh, you're right! They didn't get much chance to explore last time, did they? Alright, come on out guys!"
A bunch of noise was made as the PokeBalls on Winter's belt were opened one by one, releasing the Pokemon inside. Flow, Hyper, and Glist were the first three out. The Eevelutions immediately swarmed Winter with love and warmth. Winter was nearly knocked onto his butt by their affection.
He laughed, "Okay, guys. Settle down. Go explore for a bit. Find some interesting things."
Glist was the first to oblige by this. The Glaceon was home in this ice world and he wanted revel in it much longer than he got to the last time he was here. He set off towards the walls, looking up at them expectantly. Hyper and Flow set off together, looking for anything interesting that stood out.
Derp was the next to come out. The Quagsire tapped his foot against the ice and appeared to study it, "Sssssiiiiirre?" it seemed to asked curiously. Winter laughed again.
"It's only ice buddy," Winter explained, "You haven't been around it, have you?" The Quagsire began to walk slowly off, his eyes captivated by the crystal world in which he walked in...or rather slipped in. The next second, Derp was face first on the ice, sliding forward from his own momentum.
"Careful buddy! It's slippery!" Winter called out.
Lucky knew Sumo chose to stay in the ball because she didn't really like to go anywhere. Not that she could go anywhere fast anyway. She was about as quick as any regular Shuckle could be. Nor did he let Rio out. In the confines of the cavern, a Flying-Type could be very destructive. and the Aerodactyl was known for being destructive. Mane was even a worse choice, as he Fire-Type would only cause the area around them to melt and flood, creating a very dangerously lethal situation. Unfortunately, those three could join Winter this time.
Lucky was a bit hesitant to approach the last Pokemon on his belt, staring up at Winter because he wanted the trainer to make the decision. Winter knew what the hesitation was about, but gave a shrug in response.
"Yeah, let her out. She's one of the team. And she deserves it after Ak-Mun."
The Squirtle nodded and opened the ball, a Weavile hopping out. She seemed to glance around at her surrounding disapprovingly before turning back to Winter, a skeptical look in her eyes that seemed to say, Is this all a trick or something?
"Go have fun with everyone else," Winter said with a warm smile, "No combat today. You had a lot of that yesterday with that Charizard."
The Weavile harrumphed and crossed her arms as she walked over to a very pretty ice pillar and sat down beneath it. Winter sighed and rubbed the back of his head. Their journey together had never been great from the get-go. The Weavile was an experiment case from the labs of an unknown group Winter didn't even bother to learn the name of at the time. All he knew back then was that he stumbled into a very dark and evil place and he had to do something about it. So, he saved her. They were memories he wanted to forget...memories he wanted to keep to himself. And the only proof that such an event happened was Weavile herself.
Despite Winter saving her, the damage had been done. Weavile just wasn't receptive of people or Pokemon, proving to be a rather anti-social individual in general. She kept mostly to herself and didn't interact much with the other members of his team...not even Arty. Winter had considered releasing her to the wild many times, but feared that by doing so, the people he took her from would be getting her back. So long as she was with Winter, she was safe. She may not appreciate it, but Winter didn't care. Any life was better than the life she lived.
"I still need to figure out a name for you," Winter lamented as he stared at the Weavile. Lucky walked up in a friendly manner like he always tried to do and offered her an Oran Berry. The Weavile ignored him like always, turning her head away from him to show her disinterest. Lucky frowned from another failed attempt and walked back over to Winter, who had begun to rub his arms to keep them warm.
"Hot damn, it's actually cold," Winter shivered as Winter climbed onto his back, "But we can do this! I know we can!"
Walking softly on paws that were designed for the cold, Shantra lifted her head to sniff the air and help her find food. She had excellent hearing to know if there was another pokemon or trainer in the area. She stopped when she heard a noise and listened more intently. Hearing the sound of other pokemon, Shantra walked slowly closer so that she could see hear better.
She didn't know if she wanted to be visible to the others, not knowing if they were wild pokemon in the area, but she knew that she would have to keep an eye on them. She was curious by nature and would eventually let them see her, but she didn't want them to see her right away and get scared. So she would watch and wait to see what they were up to.
At this point, the Espeon and Vaporeon had begun playing around him, circling them while they tried to get the other's tail. It was something they had done since they were Eevees, before Winter found and rescued them some time ago. It was also a fun thing to do...that is when they weren't in someone's way. This someone this time was Derp, who got distracted easily by the actions of Hyper and Flow and ended up falling on his butt, causing some snow to shift around them. The Eevolutions looked back and began to laugh. Derp, unsure of what to do, laughed along with them.
Winter managed a slight chuckle through chattering teeth, "Be careful, now. Don't want those things to fall on anyone." He pointed upwards. The three Pokemon followed their gaze to discover a cluster of icicles above them. They immediately scattered from beneath it.
Glist continued to walk around the edge of the cavern, looking at the ice walls and soaking in the natural frozen beauty. He ignored everything his brother and sister were doing. The Weavile watched from a distance, pointing at them and laughing cruelly. It was the only fits of laughter Winter ever saw her in. But it was laughter nonetheless.
Lucky noticed the trembling form of his best friend beneath his own body. Lucky looked down to notice that his arms were crossed and he was trying hard to keep focus up. Concerned, the Squirtle tapped the boy's shoulder and got his attention. "Squir?" he asked, translating to You okay?
Winter gave Lucky a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine. I need to resist the cold at least a little bit. Otherwise, I'm not sure I could handle it up on Mount Silver."
Lucky was hesitant to simply accept that answer. He didn't agree with this idea. There were better ways to deal with the cold than risking one's life by traversing through the Ice Path without a strong jacket or at least some thermals.
Suddenly, Glist stopped. His eyes had widened slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just saw. Winter and Lucky hadn't noticed this. Neither did Flow, Hyper, or Derp. But Weavile did.
"Hrm?" Weavile got up, approaching Glist slowly, "Wea-viiile?" she stated in almost a condescending tone, one that said What's up? One icicle scarier than the rest? But her eyes gleamed with genuine intrigue. Especially since Glist didn't react that way often.
Winter did notice Weavile moving towards Glist. "Huh? What's up?" he moved towards her at a hesitant pace, unsure of what was going on.
Little did they know Glist had just seen a Suicune.
She turned her head so that she could see where she was going and ran to the cave that she had made into her home. She didn't know how long they would be there, but she decided that she would watch them and find out where they were going and if they were sent to find her. She was still hungry, but she knew that would have to wait.
Winter knew the Glaceon had seen something at this point, "Alright, buddy. I'll go check it out. You guys wait here."
The current Champion of the Kanto/Johto Region began moving towards the direction Glist had pointed out. The rest of Winter's team gathered together, watching him go forward to prove Glist's theory correct.
"Squir squir?" Lucky asked, as if he was saying Think we're actually going to run into a Suicune?
"I don't know what's ahead, buddy," Winter replied, looking around as they went deeper into this wooded area, "I guess we'll find out."
A sharp wind cut through the young teen, causing Winter to lift his hands to his sleeves, "Woah! Jeezums!" he muttered as he began rubbing his arms for warmth. All the while, he kept a careful gaze around, trying to spot something different around here. Something moving. The thick trees around them didn't help, nor did the wind that seemed to be picking up, bringing snow to his face. Now Winter was starting to have second thoughts about his actions.
"Everyone's safe back in that s-segment of the cave, right L-Lucky?" Winter looked over his shoulder to the Squirtle, who nodded as he took his own gander back from where they came. They would be protected from the wind chill so long as they stayed put.
F-f-f-fuck me, this is cold!" Winter chattered as he made his way further. Lucky's concern for his best friend grew considerably as he watched his friend practically braving the elements without preparation. He was cold himself, but at least he had a shell he could use to protect himself from the cold. Winter had no such thing to his advantage. Lucky knew this wasn't going to end well if they didn't find cover and quick.
And finally, the Squirtle spotted salvation. Through the trees and blowing snow, Lucky saw a cave at one of the walls. "Squir! Squir!" he pointed frantically at it, trying to get Winter to see it.
Winter squinted with effort in the direction his buddy was pointing, "Al...Alright...W-W-We'll t-t-try th-there..." he managed to get out.
But the weather had taken it's toll on the boy. Winter had a singular moment of clarity where he couldn't feel anything. His whole body was numb. The wind continued to beat on him, the snow constantly hitting his face and stinging his eyes. It punished him for not bringing the proper materials needed to pass through the Ice Path.
Winter suddenly stopped, causing Lucky to look down in horror at the trainer. He had pushed it too far.
"I...just..." he mumbled before collapsing in the snow.
"Squir!?" Lucky cried as he began to fall himself. Being a Pokemon, though, he has his resistances as well as his training and so he action rolled the moment he hit the ground. Turning back, he grabbed Winter's arm and began tugging him towards the mouth of the cave they were directly in front of.
Winter wasn't responsive. He was so cold to Lucky's touch. Lucky knew this would get bad if they didn't do something. Winter would die if he stayed out here. But Lucky wasn't sure what he could do. He didn't have the strength to pull a 170 pound teenager very far. He knew he could try to make it back to everyone else and have them help, but it might take too long and he wasn't sure it would work. He could try releasing Mane and having the Typhlosion carry him to safety, but that would risk everyone's lives if the ice melted.
He needed help and quick.
Walking to the mouth of the cave, Shantra lifted her head and sniffed the air. She didn't know if there were any wild pokemon in the area and wanted to make sure that it was safe before she walked out into the woods. She kept her eyes on the fallen trainer making sure that he was not frozen. She sniffed around him, then looked at the other pokemon before lowering her head to grab the trainer by the collar so she could drag him towards the cave and shelter.
Then before he knew it, The Suicune had grabbed Winter's collar with her teeth and began to pull him towards the mouth of the cave. Lucky had forgotten for half a second that Winter was in trouble. Now, a small feeling of relief was flowing through him. The Suicune was helping him. Eagerly and with much haste, Lucky followed them to the mouth of her cave. As they took cover within the smooth ice cavern, Lucky immediately felt a shift in temperature...a warmer one. It wasn't very hot...actually, it was still the opposite. But it was away from the wind chill and the piling snow outside, making it feel warmer by comparison. Lucky continued to look over the unconscious teen's face, making sure he was somewhat stable. Hopefully, he would wake up soon...
"Thank you," the Squirtle said to the Suicune, extremely grateful for her actions. "I wasn't sure what I would've done had you not been around."
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