Fanfiction The Snowy Path of a Rescuer

Long ago, in an era of exploration and mysterious dungeons, most of the world has already been explored. A Ninetales, dissatisfied with the exploration group he has been assigned to, travels north to the last unexplored region. He is promised riches, but instead he will find exactly what he has been looking for. Rated T for depictions of death.

Spoiler: Chapter 1 The Path North

Cold. I felt cold. Not just any kind of cold, but a bone deep freeze like my body was encased in ice. My eyes couldn’t penetrate the blinding white mist. It was ever so cold. My body shivered and quaked, but I felt none of it. I howled, but the sound was ripped away by the raging white winds. I couldn’t tell up from down or left from right as I stood, stuck in the ground, hopelessly alone. From the swirling murky white, a mirror image of myself emerged.

*****​

I jumped to my paws, my eyes returning to reality. I panted and rocked as I cradled my head and reassured myself, “It was just a dream.”

I lumbered out of my straw bed, stretched my four legs and looked at the other two empty beds. “Looks like Ferilar and Brow are already up. I need to hurry or Ferilar will get mad.”

A small mirror nearly the size of my bags reflected a white Ninetales with minor bed fur.

After I quickly groomed myself, I stepped out into dirt into the crowded hallway in hopes to find my companions. As I weaved my way through the tight space, the mundane stone walls went unnoticed in my rush. Eventually I found my teammates in the most likely spot, the dining hall.

“Hey Taily!” Ferilar shouted across the dining hall, not caring who he bothered.

I sighed and sat next to Ferilar who was scarfing down some apples.

“Took you long enough to wake up, Taily.” I hated that nickname. Ferilar was a menacing Feraligatr. There was really no challenging him. Perfect fit for a leader.

My other teammate Brow, a Bronzong, sat to the other side and levitated an apple over to me.

I grabbed it, “Thank you.”

“No thanks required,” He…it…said in a grating monotone, “energy of party member must be maintained to increase survival chances.”

About what I should have expected from him. I nibbled on my apple while Ferilar gobbled his food and spoke at the same time, apple bits tumbling from his mouth.

“After that last raid on the dungeon in the Corgious mountains,” And I nearly got my butt kicked by all the rock types, I thought, “we got promoted and the guild leader himself is going to send us on a special mission.”

“Mission directive, discuss.” Brow made more of a demand than a question.

“Apparently there’s land that has been completely unexplored and he wants us to do boring survey work.”

“Objection, currently all land has been explored by exploration teams.”

“Welp little bell, not this place. Anyways, this place is further than we’ve ever gone before, Taily why don’t you go pick up 6 months’ worth of supplies.”

Oh yeah, let the Ninetales with no arms collect and carry 6 months’ worth of food and water. Sarcasm permeated my thoughts, the ripped Ferilar couldn’t possibly carry all the supplies. The jaded thoughts clambered in my mind. If only my contract let me say that. “I’ll be on it as soon as I’m done with this,” I gestured at my half-eaten apple.

“We’re shipping out tomorrow and the guild master wants to meet us before we leave. Don’t know what he wants, but at least I finally get to meet the guy.”

I rolled my eyes as I left the table, Now I’m on a time limit, “I’d better start getting the supplies.”

I walked out, avoiding the mass of Pokémon moving in and out of the dining hall. It’s not like they’re bad team members, I just didn’t sign up to work for a team that was driven by money. Then again, I did sign a contract for the guild, so I might have. I just wish that I had signed up with a guild that actually does rescuing rather than the first one that offered me a position right out of exploration school.

*****​

The next day, our group had finished packing our rather large saddle bags and backpacks.

“Alright, let’s go meet the guild leader,” Ferilar said as he strung his bags on his back.

We followed him down the hallways to a pair of ornate carved doors that was the Guild Master’s office. Ferilar nervously knocked.

“Come in,” the voice came from beyond the door.

Ferilar and our team pushed through the doors. The room was larger than I thought. Instead of a single desk with the guild leader positioned behind it, there were three wooden desks that formed the shape of a U. A guild administrator sat at each of the two desks facing each other. A Clefable, who I’d never met, and Hiso the Hypno. He was the one who gave me my position in the guild and I hadn’t talked to him since. I often saw him and Ferilar talk about various responsibilities that Ferilar needed to do, most of them money related. Both the administers were responsible for keeping the guild running and it showed as both Pokémon were working furiously to avoid being drowned in paper. However, the seat straight ahead of us, that should have held the Guild Master, was empty.

“Where’s the Guild Master,” our leader asked.

“He’ll be here soon,” Hiso said without even looking up from his work.

We stood in the room awkwardly, the silence broken only by pen scratching on paper.

After a few moments, the doors swung open. A single Shiftry strode into the room and placed a pile of papers next to Hiso before acknowledging us.

“You must be the exploration group headed north, right?” His raspy voice reverberated off the walls.

“Y…yes that’s us,” Ferilar nervously responded.

“Wonderful, I’m so glad you’re taking this mission. I’m Sertila, Guild Master of Sertila’s Bounty Hunter Guild.” Once again, I wondered how I ended up in a Bounty Hunter Guild, “Up in the far north, there are riches beyond your wildest dreams, piles of gold and materials. But first, we have to scout the area to find the gold.”

“And…you want us to scout for the gold?” Ferilar asked timidly.

“Bingo. Due to the importance of this mission, the reward will be 25 percent of all the gold you find. Guild tax free.”

I starred in shocked silence. Ferilar flinched in disbelief, “2…25 percent,”

“25 percent in gold rich environment,” Brow voiced his cold thoughts aloud, “calculating gains…gains worth any previously foreseen risks. We must go.”

“Be careful,” Sertila cut in, “other guilds are sure to want the gold, too. Don’t listen to what anyone else says about the north, they will try to lead you astray. Also, be prepared to fight veteran exploration teams. Your job is to scout, claim and protect.” He handed us a paper. Ferilar unraveled it to reveal a map of the known north. I noticed that only half of it was filled out. “Once you’ve scouted a sizeable chunk of land, head back. I’ll leave it to your group leader’s discretion as to what sizeable means. Report back to me directly and no one else. Alright?”

Both Ferilar and Brow furiously bobbed their heads while I only nodded once.

Our team stepped out of the room as I glanced back to see him waving us off.

*****​

The northern tundra was freezing. We hadn’t even made it to the unexplored regions, yet I felt like all my body heat was being stripped away with every passing moment. Fortune smiled on me as I was still able to keep a fire burning within myself, replacing the lost heat. It didn’t stop me from feeling like I was going to freeze over. Not to mention that every breath I took seemed to suck moisture out of me.

Ferilar led our charge into the tundra, desperately clutching a flaming stick that I had made for him. His whole body shook uncontrollably despite the flame. Brow’s steely exterior had ice crystals clinging to it, but it seemed almost unphased by the cold…almost. It was floating a little closer to the ground than usual.

“It’s…so cold…” Ferilar said through chattering razor-sharp teeth.

“Used to temperate climate, cold climate not adapted.”

Was it just me or did Brow not make a proper sentence?

I understood where Ferilar was coming from. Ever since we’d left the last dungeon, it’s been chilling winds and these endless pine forests blanketed with snow. We had actually met surprisingly few wild Pokémon in this forest. It’s a good thing, too, because I don’t think we’d have enough energy to fight them all off.

“We’re…we’re…nearly at the outpost,” Ferilar stuttered out as he tried his best to clutch the map in his shaking hands.

All I saw was a hill. Then again, almost all guild outposts are built in hills or rock faces for ease of construction.

“The…the Guild Master said not to go to this outpost for its not ours, but…we…need proper rest.”

For once I agreed with his decision.

We slowly made our way. My paws felt like blocks of ice treading clumsily through the snowy terrain.

We came to a clearing in the forest. The outpost was imbedded into the hill on the other side of the clearing, but there was something odd about this place. Several structures and buildings stood in front of the hill.

“What’s going on here?” I asked.

“Answer,” Brow’s metallic voice responded slower than usual, “this outpost has had residences form around it supporting the actions of those that work here. Conclusion, this is a well-used outpost.”

“Good thing these outpost towns are public,” Ferilar forced out as he started forward.

Together, we walked into the town. As I stepped through the snow-covered streets, I was amazed by the shear amount of Pokémon that lived here. Rather than a handful of merchants that are supposed to be in these kinds of towns, I counted at least 7 different Pokémon just walking around. Usually outposts only run on a small team of 2 or 3 Pokémon. This was a full town. What’s a full town doing all the way up here?

We’re being watched. The prickling sensation creeping up my spine derailed my previous train of thought as I tried to subtly search for the source. I should have expected it since we’re marching on another guild’s outpost. Everyone was watching us, some more discretely than others. My unease grew as I realized all their gazes were not on our group but on me specifically.

Ferilar spotted a very familiar face and headed in that direction, either unaware of others spying, or too cold to care. Probably both. We stepped up in front of a Kecleon stall.

“Welcome to Kecleon Shop!” This Kecleon sang like all the others.

“Do you know of a place we can shelter?” Ferilar asked.

“Why yes,” he turned and pointed to a pair of weathered doors that were imbedded in the cliff face at the end of the rows of buildings, “You see the double doors over there? That’s where the guest beds are.”

Ferilar and Brow moved towards the doors without even looking back at Kecleon.

I nodded at him, too afraid that my chattering teeth would become audible if I tried to say anything.

“Thanks! Please come again!” His practiced goodbye barely registered through the ears that I couldn’t feel.

We stepped through the double doors and I was bathed by a wave of blissfully warm air that fought back the freezing winds. I paused in the doorway as the warmth started to thaw my frozen senses.

Ferilar and Brow stepped inside quickly, leaving me holding the door open. Someone shouted across the hall, “Hey, keep the door closed.” I proceeded to close the door and examine the room that I assumed was a guild outpost. A huge bonfire raged from its perch in the center of the room. Torches lined the walls, giving what heat they could. Two doors opened off the left and right walls and a desk with a Pokémon behind it rested at the far wall beyond the bonfire. I noticed two hallways on either side of the desk going deeper into the complex.

All three of us gathered at the base of the bonfire, trying desperately to warm ourselves.

“Do you three need something?” The Pokémon at the desk beyond the bonfire asked us.

“Ye…yes, we need three beds,” Ferilar spoke as if unafraid that this was potentially an enemy base.

“Of course!” The Breloom said as he rushed to our side. He handed us three wooden plates that had a number inscribed on them before pointing at the door furthest away from us on the right wall. “Your beds are in there. Please use the bed number on these passes.” He or she, I couldn’t tell, walked back behind the desk. “The mess hall is to your left whenever you want something to eat.”

What kind of guild was this?

*****​

After we warmed up and found our beds, Ferilar thought it would be best to hit up the mess hall. Since we had to buy our meals, we only had a few apples to share between the three of us.

The dining hall wasn’t all that impressive. It was rather small compared to the hall back at the guild and the table that filled the space could only seat about 14 Pokémon on each side. Several other Pokémon occupied seats at the table. I noticed a Poliwarth that came closer and sat across the table from us. His strength was clearly visible and I figured he was part of a different exploration team. I braced myself in anticipation of him trying to extort information from us or scare us off.

“Hey…” his voice surprised me as it was devoid of emotion. “Could you not go any further north?”

“What,” Ferilar said in objection, “we haven’t even gotten to the unexplored bit yet.”

“That’s what I’m saying, don’t go up there, it’s too dangerous.” His explanation was flimsy as he seemed to lack conviction.

“Danger everywhere,” Brow stated coldly, “risks worth reward.”

“You’ll die if you go out there,” He deflated as if he already knew there was nothing he could say to stop us.

“Yeah, whatever,” Ferilar blew him off, “we’re not listening to anyone from another guild so you might as well give it up.”

The Poliwrath didn’t say a word after that, he just slowly left the room. I looked around at the few other Pokémon in the room. Rather than staring at me, like those outside, they were actively avoiding looking our way. What have we gotten ourselves into?

*****​

Leaving the snow-covered town, our group set out through the forest and headed north. The great snow pines reached high into the clear sky, covering us with chilling shade. The forest floor was devoid of any foliage, just white, untouched snow. The only sound that could be heard was the crunching of our feet and paws. Even though we had just left, and I had thick fur, I still felt my body begin to freeze with each step I took. It was like a leech sucking the heat out of me. I remade my little stick and flame for Ferilar, since he couldn’t handle the cold as well as I could. As we traveled through the pristine environment, I couldn’t help but remember what that Poliwrath had said. I knew not to trust the other competing teams, but his words still lingered in my mind with a sense of foreboding.

My thoughts finally overflowed into words, “Is it really dangerous out here?”

“No doubt,” Ferilar surprised me with his words, “just the environment is treacherous.”

“Not to mention that Poliwrath’s words,” Brow spoke coldly, “Even if statement is incorrect, it means more experienced teams have come through here.”

“The more I hear, the more I don’t like this mission,” Ferilar muttered softly before ordering, “keep an extra eye out for anyone trying to ambush or follow us.”

I was glad that my team leader wasn’t as dumb as a brick, but I guess we would never have made it this far if he was.

We continued forward, more alert than ever. We paused at the base of a long slow incline to catch our breath and eat an apple. My eyes kept returning to the hill in front of us. Something about it bothered me, but I couldn’t put my paw on it. As my gaze wondered over the trees, it dawned on me that the trees were being buried as the hill rose. It wasn’t a hill at all. The earth wasn’t rising, rather the snow was getting deeper and enveloping the trees. It spanned for miles in each direction and there was no way around it that I could see.

“Looks like we have to go over this,” Ferilar spoke while clutching the map in his shaking claws.

We started up the ramp of snow, my paws digging deeper the higher we climbed. Soon we were striding between the tops of trees, which now only looked like small bushes. It didn’t take long before even that was consumed by the snow.

As we crested the incline, I was struck speechless. An enormous plateau of sparkling, untouched snow stretched as far as the eye could see. The glistening, pristine environment was breath-taking. I would have reveled in its magnificence a bit longer if the sudden bone chilling winds hadn’t instantly numbed my senses. The wind was so dry that it instantly sucked the moisture from my breath, and I was struck with an unexpected coughing fit.

Ferilar had to cover his flame to keep it burning. “Just beyond this is our objective. We’re almost there, just one last obstacle.” Ferilar rallied us as he strode onto the pristine plain, sinking up to his hips in snow. He was lucky to have big feet which kept him from falling too far. Meanwhile, my small paws had me struggling to keep myself from drowning in the snow. I was sure Ferilar and I were both jealous of how Brow floated easily over the difficult terrain.

I saw mountains on the horizon ahead of us and thought they must be our destination. Despite how beautiful everything is, I can’t wait to get out of this wickedly cold, dry air.

*****​

After several hours of traveling, I was still enchanted by the radiant arctic landscape. Then things started to go south. The wind picked up and I felt like I might actually freeze to death. I had lost all feeling in my paws hours ago and I feared the rest of my body would soon follow. The source of the wind loomed before us like a wild Pokémon ready to pounce. A sea of ominous grey clouds reached high above us and covered the land completely. As the great beast of a storm drew closer, the wind intensified and howled deafeningly. Ferilar’s screaming was barely audible before the great beast’s whirling winds.

“Stick together and fall back!”

As one, we turned and fled. Our feet sunk deeper and deeper into the snow with every step. We flailed about, trying to make headway. With a sinking feeling, I realized we weren’t going to outrun the storm’s ravenous clutches. In a panic, I searched the horizon for any kind of shelter. Nothing. Nothing in that vast empty ocean of stunning snow, that I had admired before, was going to protect us. With a dawning terror, I realized there was no escape.

The storm crashed upon us like a tidal wave. The raging blizzard ripped and tore at my fur covered flesh, pelting me with a thousand needles. What terrified me even more was the rate at which the snow accumulated around us. We were on the cusp of being buried by the snow’s endless barrage. We just barely managed to keep from being buried alive.

I tried my best to stay with the group, but the driving snow was obscuring them from sight. I felt a thud. I turned back to see Ferilar face down on the ground, already being consumed by the snow. I struggled to his side and placed a paw on him, but I couldn’t feel anything with my frozen paw. In fact, I couldn’t feel anything at all. It was a relief not to feel the biting cold anymore, but nothing could relieve the fear of losing our leader.

“Brow!” I shouted, but the storm consumed my words. “Brow!” I shouted again turning to see the steel gong half covered in snow on the ground.

Not you too. I could barely hold a thought.

I looked back at Ferilar only to see a small mound of snow where he used to be. No! I’m not going to be alone out here! The paw that I had on him was the only thing that anchored me to the now snow-covered Pokémon. Out of options, I pulled what power I could muster and released a flamethrower on the mound of snow. What came out, however, was a sad excuse for a flame, let alone a flamethrower. I hadn’t even melted any of the snow before it fizzled out. I tried again, but this time nothing came out. I coughed and hacked as I tried to pull flames that just weren’t there.

After two more weak attempts ending in violent coughing fits, I gave up on that fruitless option. I looked towards…anywhere. I couldn’t see…anything. It was all a blurry white mess. I couldn’t even see my own paws as I held them in front of my face. I can’t leave them, but I’ll die if I stay here. I don’t even know which way to go. There’s no way out. With that thought, my body melted into the snow as if that simple thought had sapped what remained of my strength. With a sense of relief, my vision slowly faded from white to black and I finally felt warm.

Spoiler: Authors Note

Hello everyone and thank you for reading the first chapter in this little story! I have actually completed this story 2 years ago, but due to real life drama never got around to editing it. This, however, is the first chapter I have edited and I hope to have the others out as soon as I can get them edited. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

Spoiler: Chapter 2 Memories

“T…Teacher…” I called out as I tried my best to hold back tears as I wandered through the dark forested halls, “Teacher, L…Leader, anyone? Please help me.”

My fragile voice broke into whimpering sobs. I was alone. A single vulpix left alone in a mystery dungeon.

The sounds of my tears reverberated off the tight walls, reinforcing just how alone I was. I was left behind? I…I got lost and left behind. Someone…anyone?

My sobs attracted attention.

I quickly turned my head toward the thud of heavy footsteps. Relief flooded through me at the thought that this Pokémon could be my salvation.

The sheer size of the Pokémon made me feel like a tiny Rattata. It was a Scolipede. As I gazed into the great Scolipede’s eyes, my hope of rescue died at the bloodlust I saw there.

My eyes went wide and, in fearful desperation, I sprang towards one of the other exits.

The massive lumbering Scolipede cut off my escape.

I turned tail and rushed for one of the other exists. The Scolipede didn’t have time to cut me off, but that didn’t stop it from charging after me.

Loud thudding and crashing filled the space behind me as the huge form of the Scolipede barreled through the tight halls. It’s otherworldly shriek terrified me. Tears blurred my vision as I dashed through the small moss-covered hallways, not paying attention to where I was going. I don’t want to die here. Why…why is this happening! Is it a dream or something?

My fear fueled flight came into an abrupt stop when I bounced off the belly of another large creature. I looked up to see the face of another Scolipede, murder bleeding from its eyes.

I instinctually shot a measly Ember before turning and dashing away from both Scolipede’s.

Why? Why is this happening to me…WAH! My thoughts were again rudely interrupted when I face planted into another creature’s belly. This one was smaller, though, and I wasn’t thrown back. I didn’t want to look up. I didn’t want to see another great big monster waiting to dine on me.

“Uhhh…” that simple sound fluttering from above surprised me into looking up. That sound wouldn’t come from a wild Pokémon and I felt the slightest shred of hope stir as I willed this Pokémon to rescue me. I looked up.

*****​

I felt comfortably warm as my eyes fluttered open and I saw white. I tried to move, but my body refused. My eyes came to rest on a moving form, as white as the ground around it. I couldn’t tell if it was real or my mind playing tricks on me. I couldn’t stay awake long enough to tell.

*****​

Relief washed over me as I noted this wasn’t one of the huge beasts chasing me. It was a far smaller form of a white Pokémon with red polka dots adorning it’s body.

The crashing footsteps snapped me back to reality, “Help me!” I sobbed up at dots, tears dissolving the details of it’s face.

His eyes widened as his face turned toward the thundering steps behind me, “Oh shu…” before he completed his sentence, I felt something grab my back and lift me violently into the air.

This is it, I thought, I’m getting taken away by these monsters, this this… “AGH!” I shouted as I was suddenly slammed against the hardened dirt, my left side exploding in pain. The pressing danger of the predators was far more concerning than my own aching side and I forced myself to my paws.

I watched as the polka dot Pokémon and the two Scolipede faced each other down.

The Scolipedes furiously threw a poisonous tail at the polka dot Pokémon.

He didn’t really dodge so much as he stumbled out of the way. In fact, it looked like he was stumbling everywhere. Even when he was standing still, it looked like he couldn’t quite keep upright, as if his bones weren’t solid.

A Scolipede rushed towards my mysterious savior and again he stumbled out of the way.

When the Scolipede came to rest, one of its eyes landed on me. Its murderous gaze alone was enough to paralyze me where I stood. It turned to face me and readied a charge.

The polka dot Pokémon spun around in an odd dance towards the beast’s side before hitting it with a powerful punch of some kind.

That murderous gaze was replaced with surprised anguish as the giant creature went flying across the clearing.

Relief washed through me as I thought, this Pokémon would keep the monsters away, this Pokémon was going to save me. Any feeling of hope dried up as I felt a presence loom behind me.

Before I could even spin around, I was once again flying through the air. I heard a large crash as the world spun around on itself. I closed my eyes waiting for the jolt of landing, but instead felt myself swinging in the air. I looked around to see that I was dangling from the hand of the polka dot Pokémon and the spot where I had been was occupied by a crater with a Scolipede in it. This mysterious Pokémon had saved my life again.

“Hold on, this is going to be a weird ride.”

What do you meeeeEEEEEAAAANNNN… polka dot started dancing again, avoiding all the attacks the Scolipedes threw at us. My senses dulled as I was whirled round and round in sickening spins. I couldn’t tell ceiling from floor as they all blurred together in the vicious dance. The only anchor I had to reality was polka dot, who seemed to be just as bemused as I was by the wild ride.

Several poisonous projectiles and stingers flew past the two of us from all angles, all coming close to connecting, but never landing a hit.

The confusingly frightening joy ride came to an abrupt end as the poka dot Pokémon landed another powerful punch on one of the Scolipedes.

After we’d come to an abrupt stop, my vision swirled like it was still on the joy ride. Even as the hand let go of my fur, I twirled on my own in a confused daze.

When the world stopped twisting, I tried to take in my surroundings. I saw the poka dot Pokémon loosely standing over the fainted Scolipede on the ground. The other Scolipede grimaced in pain while struggling to remain standing. The Scolipede slowly backed out of sight, never revealing its rear to us.

With the threats eliminated, the poka dot Pokémon twirled around and looked directly at me with a wondering gaze. “Hi, I’m a Spinda and I’m an explorer.”

*****​

Wind howled in the distance as if it was miles away. My eyes fluttered open just for a second and caught the blue glaze of ice. I tried make sense of my surroundings but failed. As slumber crept over my mind and dragged me back into unconsciousness, my eyes fell upon an opening in the ice. Beyond that, there was only white.

*****​

“Spinda,” relief flooded my body and my eyes welled up, “Please help me!” I sobbed trying not to cry again.

“Uh…Yeah sure, I’ll help you,” I never thought hearing those words would be so precious to me.

Without thinking, I embraced Spinda and wailed into his fur. I knew it was impolite, but I couldn’t help it. I let lose the swirling torrent of mixed emotions, no longer able to hold it in.

After some time passed, I was finally able to get my emotions under control and I released Spinda.

“Feeling better?” He asked with his bobbing head.

“A little…” I timidly said as embarrassment colored my cheeks at blubbering all over a stranger.

He seemed not to notice, “Then what do you need my help for?” He asked very politely.

I guess I never said, “Can you rescue me? I got lost from my school expedition.”

“Uh, well…sure I can do that,” he seemed hesitant, but I didn’t ask because I was too afraid that he’d reject me. “Follow close behind me.”

Together, we made our way down the mystery dungeon. As we moved through the tight forest walls, I couldn’t help but notice that Spinda wasn’t very sturdy. He kept losing balance and falling every which way. I also noticed that he kept his paw against the wall as he walked, as if it was some kind of anchor.

“Spinda, are you alright?” I asked hoping my savior wasn’t confused.

“Yeah I’m doing just fine. You may not know this, but…” Sometimes, he made perfect sentences, however, every now and again he strained to find words, “but, all Spinda’s are perpetually confused. I’m one of the lucky ones.”

“You said Spinda’s, isn’t Spinda your name?” I asked, my mind affixed to the thought.

“No, Spinda isn’t my name it’s my species.”

“They what’s your name?” I asked eager to hear my savior’s real name.

“We don’t have those. We’re too confused to give names.”

His voice seemed somber, so I tried to cheer him up, “Why don’t I give you a name then?”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” he said sternly, “just call me Spinda.”

His stern rejection made me slump. I just wanted to help.

We came to a three-way fork in the path. Spinda looked down the three paths, “Uhm,”

“Do you not know the way?” I asked.

“No, I do, I just…” he trailed off as he looked at me, then the paths. “Do you mind if we take a little detour?”

“Sure, I guess,” I said unsure of what I was agreeing to, but not wanting to inconvenience Spinda.

We began down the far-right path where the density of the tree’s started to block out the sun.

We reached an open clearing that was covered in rocks that varied in size and scale. Spinda walked up to one of them and pulled out a chisel. He chopped up the shiny silvery rocks with practiced ease.

“What are those?” I asked curiously as a little pebble landed near me.

“These are Dungeon rocks. We use them to make explorer badges. Badges like these,” He pulled out an explorer badge. “It’s what I came to this forest to get in the first place.” He continued to chip away at the rocks.

I watched in awe as he worked slowly, chiseling the boulders into easily transportable stones. Realization hit me like one of those rocks to the face. I’d ask Spinda to do so much for me and all I’ve done was get in the way. My vision became watery. I’ve been nothing but a burden. I want to be an explorer, but I can’t even take care of myself. I broke down into sobs, I’m such a terrible explorer.

Spinda must have heard as he turned to face me.

“W…What’s wrong,” he said with confusion as he stepped towards me.

“I’m such a terrible explorer,” I confessed in between my fits of tears, “I can’t take care of myself, and I’m only in your way. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I chanted profusely as I couldn’t stop crying.

Spinda comforted me with an embrace and once again my tears soaked his fur. “No explorer is perfect, everyone makes mistakes,” Spinda tried his best to console, “Part of an explorer’s job is to help those that need it. All I ask of you is that you don’t let this happen again and you try to help others that need it. Don’t let one stumble stop you. Keep going and help others when you can.”

 

Spoiler: Chapter 3 A Change of Winds

“…help others when you can”

My eyes slowly opened as the last wisp of a memory floated through my head. Dazed, I tried to take in my surroundings. Ice covered the walls and roof like some kind of igloo. However, the floor did not feel like ice and a quick glance showed it was made of wood. Inside the dome, my two companions lay around a single lantern with a golden flame. I started to call out to them, but the words died in my mouth as I noted they were unconscious.

I got my paws under me and sat up. My whole body shivered from the intense cold. The little lantern offered minimal protection. On the other side of the structure, it opened into a white field…wait, the field is moving?

I stepped towards the door and looked out. My jaw nearly hit the floor with surprise. A Pokémon, near perfect reflection of myself with a coat as white as the snow around us, was pulling us through a never ending void of white. I could barely distinguish between the snow and the wavy, blue-tinted fur of the Ninetails. The confusion continued as my attention turned to the fact we were being pulled. On something. Going somewhere.

A puff of cold air had me recoiling back into the dubious warmth of the igloo, but as soon as I did I felt the jolt of a stop. I glanced at the entrance and was startled to see a pair of deep blue eyes staring back at me. With their coat blending so completely into the white surroundings, it unnerved me how much it looked like a pair of floating eyes.

I thought we were going to stare at each other forever. “You’re awake.” the surprisingly feminine voice caught me off guard.

“Uh, yeah…who are you and where are you taking us?” Was the only response I could muster, but then again, perhaps it was the best response when being dragged away by some random stranger.

“I’m Flake, a rescue explorer. I’m taking you back and I’ll drop you off at the nearby town.” She turned around and went back to pulling us. “Why don’t you tell me why you went into the snow flats like an idiot.”

The hostility in Flake’s voice bewildered me, “W…Well, we were promised a great reward for scouting the north…”

“…And you thought money was worth more than your life,” She completed with disdain.

I was taken aback, “Wh…what?! No! I was just following orders. I don’t want money.”

“Then what do you want?” She asked in an accusatory tone.

“…I…” I carried a long pause as I tried to think of the question she had asked. Why did I come out to this horrid place? “I don’t know.”

She didn’t respond. Her attention remained fixed on the snow-covered horizon. My body felt numb. I could feel the flame burning inside me, trying desperately to bite back frostbite as I sat inside the dome of ice. I shuffled as close to the little lantern as I could and noticed little portholes where heat radiated out. It wasn’t a lot of heat, but anything was better than nothing.

*****​

“We’re here, help your friends out of there.” Flake firmly stated. I had done nothing but soak up the heat of the lantern the whole way. With my body still numb, I gathered the remainder of my strength and went to lift Ferilar out of the ice sculpture. He was the only one I knew I could carry.

Flake came in and, seeing me grab my friend, bit down on Brow’s hand and dragged him out. I clenched my teeth as the sound of metal scraping on wood grated in my ears.

I stepped outside behind Flake. We were in a clearing in the snow-covered forest. Flake and I stood atop a hill that overlooked the small town that my group had traversed not too long ago. I could hear a bell clanging in the distance.

Flake let Brow go and started to leave, pulling the sled with her. “By the way,” she turned to me, “we never met.” And like that, Flake slipped into the tree lining and was out of sight.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see a Sawk climbing up the hill to me. For a moment, when he reached the crest of the hill, he looked at me with awe. Then he shook his head and tended to Brow, who was face first on the ground.

“We need to get them to our medic.”

I couldn’t agree more, I thought, as I felt the wind chill bite at my back.

*****​

I hadn’t lay in a proper bed for months and reveled in it’s warm embrace. The room was apparently their infirmary, but other than the beds there was nothing to distinguish it as a medical room. A single Audino was the only assistant this place had, but I was grateful for that. Not every fringe outpost had a medic. The Audino quietly worked on healing my wounds. I was thankful for their warming light, but there was a niggling sensation that gnawed at the back of my mind as I looked at the other two.

“Will those two be alright?” I asked trying to hide the concern in my voice.

“After they’ve recovered, yes, but ones a cold-blooded reptile and the other is completely made of steel. They’re going to have trouble recovering. Honestly, they’re lucky to be alive.”

I thought back to the deadly event. There was no way we could prepare for such a fierce blizzard. Once again, I’d become a burden for another explorer. What was I supposed to do, not follow my group in? Now that I think about it, the members of this town did say something about dying if we went out there.

“Hey,” I asked the Audino, “how many Pokémon have explored the north?”

“You mean the Snow Flats?” Is that what it’s called? Uncreative name, “I’ve seen dozens of explorers try to chart the Snow Flats, but only three Pokémon that I know managed to cross it.”

“Wait, you mean others have come up here? Were they sent on jobs by the guild?” My mind raced with accusations, but I tried to reassure myself that this wasn’t the case.

“I’m just a medic, you’d have to ask some of the other town members. They’re retired explorers who went on these expeditions. All I know is what I’ve told you and that some Pokémon don’t ever come back.” Her ominous words lingered in the air before she finally stepped back and said, “You’re all patched up, feel free to leave when you’re ready.” If anything, I felt worse than before.

I stepped out of the medical room and found the mess hall door directly in front of me. I decided to see if I could chat with the other Pokémon as Audino suggested.

Making my way into the now familiar mess hall, I noted the presence of Kangaskhan, Ampharos, and Snover. They were chatting at the table with a Brelom preparing a meal. The conversation fell silent as I stepped into the room. The Snover looked up at me with reverence for some reason.

“Mind if I sit here,” I politely asked as I picked out a spot on the table.

“Not at all,” Kangaskhan said with a bright smile. “We’re happy to have you.” The other two Pokémon at the table smiled politely.

“I have a question, do any of you know about the job postings to explore the far north?”

The room was silent for an agonizing second and I felt like I had said something wrong. Then the Ampharos piped up, “That would be a question for me. From what I know, the explorations have been attempted for longer than I’ve been up here. As for why, I couldn’t tell you for certain. There are only rumors about what exists beyond the Snow Flats.”

“I heard that some Pokémon have successfully made the journey. Don’t they know?”

“Only three that I know of. Two of them were a team and guild masters. However, they were highly secretive and hid a lot of their findings. Some of the rumors say that they stashed their findings beyond the Flats to avoid capture when their guild collapsed, but it’s hard to say that’s true because there are older rumors about treasure that have been circulating since before the guilds creation.”

“This is the first time I heard of this,” Snover said with the squeaky voice of a child aimed at the Kangaskhan, “What are you talking about, what are these Pokémon and what’s this guild?”

“Sorry dear,” Kangaskhan apologized to the little Snover “I barely remember anything about them. The toppling of their guild was a big thing at the time, but it didn’t really affect my business, so I didn’t much care about it. I believe that their guild was the Researchers of… something? Something to do with ruins anyway.”

“Where are they now?” I asked, curious.

Kangaskhan replied, “they haven’t been seen or heard from in years. However, they are still hunted for the knowledge they keep hidden.”

“What about that third Pokémon?”

“I believe you’ve met the third Pokémon,” Amphoras stated with a slight grin.

“I’ve met…” my confused brain tried to put the ideas together before it finally clicked, “Oh!”

“That’s right,” Snover interjected before I could continue, “the great Ninetales that saved you.”

“She is our town guardian, the one who saved all of us from that frozen wasteland. She’s like a white angle coming through the snow in times of peril and rescuing us on the verge of death. And in case you were wondering, no you can’t meet her. That Ninetales only appears in the Snow flats.”

My thoughts were racing trying to grasp all this new information, “Okay. Thank you,” I tried to grab at a name, but realized one didn’t come to mind.

“Name’s Ampero,” Amphoras said as if picking up on my lack of knowledge.

“I’m Khan the third, but you can just call me Khan.” Kangaskhan politely added.

“And I’m Trevsnow. I was born here!” The little Snover had youthful energy gushing from his words.

“Nice to meet you all,” I politely acknowledged them.

“What’s your name, mister?” The Snover asked.

“My name is Valixalyle.”

“Will you be staying with us Valixalyle?”

“…I…I…” I didn’t even think that was an option.

“That’s enough Trevsnow,” Khan interjected, “Come Valixalyle, let’s have something to eat.”

“No thanks. I need some time to think.”

Khan nodded, “Take all the time you need.”

I left the dining hall and sat in the main foyer next to the roaring bonfire. The rage enhanced heat pulsated inside me and I let it out with a swirling Flamethrower into the bonfire. He knew! That slimy Shiftry knew that we may never return and yet he sent us in anyway! There is no way he couldn’t have known! How many teams has he sent up here to never return! Are we that expendable! I sat alone venting the inferno of emotions into the firepit.

After a few moments, my fire quelled. My mind was quiet, but the voice of Flake penetrated the silence, “Then what do you want?”

I don’t want to work for Shiftry anymore. But then what do I want? I tried to recall why I became an explorer and a single voice answered in return,

“Help others when you can.”

I want to help, no, I want to rescue those that need it. I want to…

“I thought it was getting a little hot in here.”

The voice of another Pokémon completely derailed my thoughts and made me jump.

“Fire’s gotten a little out of control.” A Vileplume walked up beside me and inspected the blaze. I couldn’t help but notice that two of the front leaves and one of the back leaves were completely missing, making his whole face seem a lot more exposed than other Vileplumes. He also used some kind of wooden crutch that drew my eyes to his legs, or rather leg. I tried not to stare.

“I heard you came by our town a little while ago. Nice to meet you. My friends call me Plumage and I’m the mayor of this little town.”

I recoiled in confusion, “Mayor? Isn’t this a guild outpost?”

“Was a guild outpost,” he corrected, “it was abandoned years ago when the guild running it collapsed. So, you seem to have a lot on your mind. Is there something you’d like to talk about?”

I was hesitant to divulge my thoughts to a complete stranger, but something about his demeanor put my reservations at ease, “I’m just thinking about what to do next.”

Plumage nodded at the fire, “Difficult question indeed. I’ll just warn you that if you do decide to break your contract and leave your guild, you will most likely never be able to return to Guild City.”

I had considered that, but I hadn’t thought about all the ramifications. How do I rescue those that need it without a guild? There is one Pokémon I know…

“Plumage,” Plumage’s gaze didn’t leave the fire, “I want to meet with Flake.”

“And who might this Flake be?”

Wait, he didn’t know? “You know, the Ninetales that saved us.”

Plumage’s eyes went wide as he turned to me and loudly said, “No. I’m sorry I don’t know about that.” Plumage then grabbed me by my chest fur and yanked my ear to his mouth before whispering, “I don’t know, but Kecleon is the oldest Pokémon here and I think he knows a lot about that Ninetales. His stall is outside.”

Plumage let go and went back to speaking in a normal voice. “I’m sorry I can’t help you, but I wish you good luck in your future.” Plumage then limped away further into the bowels of the carved out mountain.

Odd, why would he be so secretive about it?

I stepped out of the toasty lobby and into the frozen air. I scanned the scattered buildings and stalls searching for Kecleon. Everything was covered in a thin layer of snow. The weather-worn structures seemed to huddle against the cold. I remembered which shop was his and headed off in that direction. As I approached his stall, I could see he was working on something.

Kecleon swiveled to face me, “Welcome to Kecleon Shop!” He said in a sing song voice, “How can I help you?”

I glanced over a variety of items that would be useful for any exploration, but that wasn’t why I was here. Though I did make a mental note of a few of them. “I’m here to ask about Flake.”

“Not here,” he said still in his cheery voice, but with finality. He put up a closed sign before moving deeper inside his shop, gesturing for me to follow.

Stepping inside, I couldn’t help but notice how cramped this little store/house was. I had to hold up my tails so they wouldn’t touch Kecleon’s merchandise. A single torch mounted on the wall prevented the room from freezing.

“Whisper,” Kecleon said quietly.

“What’s up with all the secrecy?” I asked, getting a little annoyed at all the hoops I needed to jump through just to talk to one explorer.

“There are many rumors about the area beyond the Snow Flats having vast amounts of treasure. Flake is my friend and one of the only Pokémon who can traverse the Snow Flats. She has a huge bounty on her head. So, why would I tell you anything about her?”

“I didn’t know there was a bounty on her. I just want to talk to her.” I tried to be as sincere as possible.

Kecleon looked me up and down. I would be sweating with nerves if I wasn’t freezing my butt off in the cold weather. “What’s your name?”

“Valixalyle” I simply said.

“The fact that you know her name adds to your credibility, but I don’t know where she is. Stay here a while and I’ll find her for you.”

I hugged Kecleon, partly out of an uncontrollable urge to show gratitude to him and partly just to hold something warm.

“H…hey?! Get off me!”

I quickly retracted as my checks went from frozen white to burning red. “I’m sorry, just got a little carried away.”

“Yeah, just don’t do it again and get out of my shop!” He said loudly, but winked at me afterwards.

I nodded and hurriedly raced back inside the outpost where I could warm up.

*****​

I sat in the foyer, eyes riveted on the dancing spires of the bonfire. My fiery heart felt a kinship with the flames, at one with them. I had thought I was the master of the blaze, but the more time I spent staring into it the more that slipped away. I felt untethered and at the mercy of the swirling vortex of heat. A mountain, a secret? Images began spilling out of the white-hot inferno, as if enticing me. Then with a single flicker, everything was gone. Both the allure of the fire and its secrets disappeared without a trace. I felt hollowed out and empty as a feeling of dread washed over me. What just happened?

“You can sense the spirits.”

I jumped up and spun around so quickly that I stumbled straight into the fire. I breathed a sigh of relief as I starred at the face of a Pokémon, a Mismagius. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so relieved. “You scared me,” I said, while stepping out of the firepit, brushing off embers. It was blissfully warm, but now’s not the time to bathe in fire. “What did you say about the spirits?”

“You can see the things that others cannot,” the deep cryptic voice spoke with wisdom, “You have the gift, as do I. The gift to see beyond what our mortal eyes can perceive.”

“Oh,” I said, still trying to calm down, “Yeah, I can see the spirits. I’ve always seen them, Ninetales are gifted that way. I just didn’t expect to see spirits up here.”

“The spirits live in places where their mortal flesh rests. It’s why graveyards are so spiritually active and it’s also why I’m here.”

I was trying to gather what they were implying, but as I turned my head a blue form caught all my attention. Ferilar stomped out of the medical room with Brow in tow.

“There you are Taily,” He used that irritating nickname again, “come on, we’re leaving this frozen death trap.” Ferilar walked towards the exit, not giving me a second glance.

I instinctively lifted a paw to follow, but I checked the impulse. I can’t let myself be swayed here, I have to be strong. I put my paw down and simply stated, “No.”

“What?” Ferilar said more confused than anything else. Mismagius stepped out of the room.

“I’m staying here,” I stated firmly.

“You know you’ll be defying the guild?” he threatened.

“I know,” I tried not to let my voice reflect the nerves twisting my stomach in knots.

Our gaze locked, Ferilar stared me down with murderous eyes. I tried my best to keep my gaze firm.

“Do as you please. I’m not spending another second here,” he grumbled before stepping out of the outpost. Brow didn’t give me a second glance.

I let out a sigh of relief. Whelp, now I’m officially a traitor.

Kecleon walked in behind Ferilar, “Valixalyle, I’ve got a special package for you.”

I took a deep breath and walked up to Kecleon. “Is it what I asked you about?” I tried to be coy with my question.

“Yes, right this way.” Kecleon didn’t seem to notice or care as he chatted to me in his usual sing song voice. I followed him.

We walked out into the dreadfully cold environment and went behind Kecleon’s shop. There, a sled with a push bar in front, was packed to the brim with supplies.

“Help me with this, will you?” He asked, as he stepped behind the push bar.

Surprised, I asked, “What’s all this for?”

“Help me push it,” was all he said in response.

I surrendered and helped him push the sled across the snowy terrain into the forest.

When we were out of earshot of any preying ears, Kecleon sighed, “I have to be honest with you, I already knew where Flake was going to be.”

“Wait, what?” I asked with both surprise and annoyance as to why I had to wait, “Why did you need time then?”

“Two reasons, first I give these supplies to Flake once a month on the exact same day.” I looked and marveled with newfound appreciation at the stack of supplies behind me; food, water, and gear. “Two, I needed to know who you were.”

I turned to him quizzically, “Who I was?”

“Valixalyle joined the Sertila Bounty Hunter Guild straight out of Exploration school. Works alongside Ferilar and Brow. You three don’t get along all too well nor do you have any particular loyalty to your guild.”

Despite the freezing air, I couldn’t help but feel as though my cheeks were burning, “How…how do you know so much?” I asked flustered.

Kecleon smiled and said, “Trade secret.” Ah, of course. The buzz word used by everyone now-a-days.

I tried to calm myself, but when I looked at the beautiful white Ninetales I couldn’t help but feel as though butterfree was fluttering inside me. She was practically invisible with the snow around her and the only real way I was able to spot her was by the giant saddle bags and backpack she wore.

We pulled up into the clearing that Flake sat in patiently and she turned to face us. “Kecleon, and…you…” She said with a hint of distain when she looked me in the eye.

“Hello Flake, nice to see you doing well. I got the supplies you wanted and a special package.” He turned to face me as he said that last bit.

I couldn’t tell if my paws were shaking from nerves or from the fact that they just went numb. “I…” What do I say here? What can I say to tell her what I really want? Thinking back to the time that I spent with Flake I said, “Remember when you asked me what I want to do?” Cautiously, Flake nodded, “I think I figured it out. I want to rescue Pokémon here.” Once I started, there was no stopping the torrent as my thoughts became words before I could understand them, “I don’t want any Pokémon else to have to go through what I did. I don’t want any Pokémon else to…to die alone here. I want to help those that cannot help themselves. I want to help.”

The three of us stood in deafening silence with Flake staring at me. It was as if the snow was gobbling up all the sound like a ravenous beast. I wish that beast would gobble me, too. I couldn’t stand this silent judging. Flake looked at the supplies, then me. I tried my best to pick apart what she was thinking, but came up empty pawed.

She gave me one last glance before opening her mouth, “Fine, but you have to do what I say.” At that one word I felt so relieved that I could now feel just how cold my body had gotten. I started shivering uncontrollably.

Flake looked at me quizzically, “Are you cold?”

“Y…Y…yes…its…freezing out here…” I said in between chattering teeth.

“But, aren’t you an ice type?”

“I’ve done some asking around Flake,” Kecleon said seemingly unphased by the cold weather, “and it seems like most Ninetales aren’t like you. Ninetales are usually fire types.”

“Fire types huh?” She said staring at my embarrassingly shivering form. “You’ll do better than most but you can’t be crossing the Snow Flats in nothing but your own fur.” She reached back into the massive bags that she carried and pulled out several white bandage-like things. She stepped towards me with the cloth, “It’s a little tricky to get it on, especially when you have paws, so just hold still. Keckleon can you help me with this?” Flake and Keckleon began wrapping the cloth around my body as if it was a full body cast. I couldn’t help it, my cheeks warmed with embarrassment. I was being handled like a Vulpix.

They stepped back and proudly admired their handy work. I felt unexpectedly and uncomfortably squished by the cloth, like there was something thick in between my skin and the air. I looked down at my paws. In their place were these massive pads bigger than a Nidoking’s feet, all wrapped in the same badges. To top it all off, I felt the heat bloom again in my chest. The last thing I expected. “What’s all this for?” I asked, still adjusting to my new form.

“It’s to protect you from the storms and make it easier for you to walk in the Snow Flats.”

“Don’t you need something like this then?” I asked not seeing a single piece of cloth on her.

“I’m a particular kind of ice type that the cold doesn’t affect as much.”

Flake turned to Keckleon, handing him a small sack of coins, “Thanks for the work you’ve done Keckleon.”

“It’s my pleasure to help, really.” He smiled the first honest smile I’ve seen from a Kecleon before departing through the trees. “See you next month,” he called over his shoulder, “See you again, too, Valixalyle.”

Flake and I waved back as he left, despite my paw shaking the whole time it was up.

As I was getting accustomed to my new, suffocating skin, Flake surveyed the dense forrest. “We have to get going.” She then got behind the sled’s push bar and started moving. “Help me with this.”

I did as she asked, standing right next to her and pushing the heavy sled of supplies up the inclined snow bank onto the Snow Flats.

 

Spoiler: Chapter 4 Into the Frozen Lands

We crossed the empty fields of snow. The snow pads strapped to my paws, though unwieldy, allowed me to walk without sinking into the powder. This was a great help when pulling a mountain of cargo across frozen fields. Although I may have been able to pull the sled, I was no Mudsdale. I was struggling to keep the sled moving. A look to my left confirmed that Flake was sharing my difficulty. My body didn’t feel warm, but it didn’t feel cold either. A delicate balance between the freezing air stripping away my body heat and the cloth wrappings trying to hold onto it. The air was still bone dry. The small scarf covering my mouth helped a bit, but I couldn’t seem to slake my thirst no matter how much I drank.

“Conserve your water,” she said as I took another swig, “That’s all we have.”

Flake seemed to be handling the environment better than I was. She was unphased by the freezing weather and her bare paws seemed to dance across the snow without sinking. Once again, I felt like a burden.

“This is a lot of supplies just for you,” I mumbled through the scarf, “and where are we taking this stuff anyway?”

“You see those mountains over there,” Flake said nodding ahead of us.

Just above the horizon I could see grey spikes that jotted out of the ground, “Barely.”

“We’re going beyond those.”

I stumbled in shock as two questions vied for priority in my head, “W…What?” the survival instinct won the debate for first question, “What about those huge storms? They’ll engulf us?”

“We call them the White Death,” We? “and no need to worry. I’ve been tackling those storms for years.”

Her answer did nothing to calm my nerves, and I was still trying to wrap my mind around the “we,” but we could discuss that later as my next question felt far more pressing. “Okay, then why are we going over the mountains? I thought we were saving Pokémon here?”

“We will in time. First, I must deliver these supplies,” she gestured behind her, “I have to do this once a month.”

“Deliver to who?” I asked.

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

The silence returned. What did she mean “I’d have to wait and see?” Are we delivering supplies to bandits?! No, no bandits would live out here and Flake isn’t that kind of Pokémon. Are we delivering supplies to a village? What kind of village could survive in this icy death trap? A howling wind tore through the silence and my thoughts. I looked to my left where a large section of the Snow Flats was engulfed in a viciously swirling wall of white.

I saw Flake fluff up her tails. “It’s not going to hit us.” She said before turning back to pulling her cargo.

“You called that the White Death. What do you know about it?” I inquired.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, it’s a deadly snowstorm.” I recalled the bone chilling experience, “The violence of the wind strips away all your energy and the snow will bury you if you stop for but a moment. It’s impossible to see or hear anything when you’re caught in it. It brings death to any who venture into it unknowing, unprepared, or unlucky.”

I couldn’t help but make the connection to wild Pokémon. “But you know how to traverse it?” I asked.

“Yes, I always encounter at least two White Death’s every time I make this journey. I’ve been taught how to combat these storms.”

“Taught?” I asked.

“My master taught me how to travel these lands. I haven’t seen her in quite a while, but I hope I get to see her again soon.”

“Does she live here? Is that what these supplies are for?” I tried again to get an answer on where we were going.

“You’ll see,” is all she answered with.

I was getting a little frustrated and concerned. What if she thinks I’m trying to collect the bounty on her? What if she’s trying to dispose of me? What if… I felt the wind shift. I looked up to see the storm in the distance, no longer moving parallel to us.

My heart sank as I heard the resignation in Flake’s voice, “It’s coming our way.”

The cold wind picked up and bit through my wrappings. I began to shiver for the first time since we started our journey.

Flake stopped pulling the cart and attached a bright red rope to the harness spanning my chest. “Keep pulling and follow my lead,” she said as she attached the other end of the rope to a harness that was barely visible under her ruffling fur.

“Why? What are you doing?” I shouted over the winds that grew ever more ravenous.

“Remember what I said? We don’t have time to argue.” She moved ahead of me, taking the brunt of the winds. To my dismay, she leaned forward and pushed straight into the gale. I had a second to wonder if she’d lost her mind, but the rope between us went taught and the moment for indecision passed. What choice did I have?

In the blink of an eye, we were encased in the storm. Voracious winds whipped me left and right while threatening to devour me with snow. It was impossible to gauge if our struggle resulted in any progress. I tilted my head to shield my eyes from the blasting snow and strained to catch a glimpse of Flake. Her white coat made it almost impossible to see her silhouette against the storm. From what I could tell, it looked like she was preparing a move. With a deep breath she blew out a Blizzard, one that matched the ferocity of the storm. It beat back the winds around us, making a protective bubble. I felt the violent storm ease and began to walk faster than a Slugma. The storm still lashed at me from time to time and my legs still felt like moving icebergs, but I could at least manage this.

Flake continued to use her mighty Blizzard for what felt like hours, stopping occasionally to catch her breath. Even though the cart felt like I was pushing the weight of a Tyranitar, her unflinching resolve galvanized me to go beyond what I thought I could handle.

As the white world around us began to fade and we reached the edge of the storm, Flake fell to her knees.

I dropped the cart rails and stumbled toward her, worried that she might be hurt. “Are you okay,” I said, dropping to her side.

She was gasping for air, “N…No, just give me a minute.” Exhaustion clearly etched across her face as she sprawled in the snow.

We sat in silence as the winds died down and the storm moved on. Eventually, her panting was the only sound and the sudden stillness was deafening.

As she began to catch her breath, I asked again, “Is everything alright.”

“Yeah,” she took in a deep breath, “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just hard to use Blizzard for so long.”

I could only imagine. I could never hope to reach that level.

“Is it always this hard for you?” I couldn’t help but feel guilty if part of the reason she was too exhausted to stand was because she had to protect me.

“Most of the time, yes. It’s treacherous to travel here even for me.” We sat in silence for a moment before she stood, “But, I still have a job to do.” She moved to the sled and started pulling it.

I quickly darted to my position and, together, we pulled the sled across the empty snow.

*****​

Days passed as we fought our way through more blizzards, finally arriving at the snowy mountains. From far away they had seemed like a mirage, but now they seemed very real as their snowy silhouettes towered over us. They formed a seemingly impenetrable line from horizon to horizon. The Flats rose to meet the mountains as the snow gave way to ice and rock. One mountain was obscured by a storm. “Hey, is that going to hit us?”

Flake examined the mountains, seemingly searching for something and only gave the briefest of glances to what I was pointing at. “No. That’s the blind mountain. It’s a mountain peak in a perpetual storm.”

“Why is it like that?”

“I don’t know. It’s always been like that.”

I stared at the mountain, my inner explorer enticing me to find out it’s secrets.

“Don’t bother,” Flake said seeming to read my thoughts, “That blizzard is more dangerous than anything you have experienced thus far. This way,” Flake said as she started moving the sled towards a fracture in the mountain wall.

When I stepped inside, the chill air was stagnant. Stone mixed with ice across the walls as we traversed what I could only identify as a dungeon. Flake had frozen the skates of the sled so it would cross more easily on the rocky surface.

“So, um…” Flake tried to say, “What’s the guild town like?”

“Wait, you’ve never been to the guild town?”

“Well…” Flake turned away from me as if embarrassed by the words, “I haven’t actually left the north.”

I stopped in my tracks and stared at her with incredulity, “Every Pokémon lives in or near the guild town.” I noticed her head droop lower and recovered my poise, stumbling forward, “Well…” I tried to think of the best way to explain the massive city to her, “It’s a really large city that’s subdivided into different guilds. There’s all sorts of shops and exploration teams.” I stopped talking when I heard footsteps ahead in the dungeon. “Sorry,” I whispered, “I shouldn’t have been talking. Wild Pokémon might have heard us.”

“You usually don’t have to worry about wild Pokémon here,” Flake said. “There are more wild Pokémon in here than outside, but they’re still so scattered that I often don’t meet a single one.”

As she said that, a single Cubchoo rounded a corner and faced us. It’s eyes only saw prey.

“Though when you do meet wild Pokémon around here, they’re starved and desperate.”

Just as Flake said that, the Cubchoo rushed us with more savagery than I expected from the little Pokémon.

This murderous intent from a wild Pokémon was so intense that I felt a primal urge to run. In an effort to dodge the incoming attack, I darted away from the cart. The cloth around my body made my movements stiff and I doubted I could dodge something that fast.

Flake however, held her ground and fired an expertly aimed ice beam right at the Cubchoo’s feet, nailing it to the ground.

The Cubchoo faceplanted. It clawed and scraped towards us as if not even recognizing that it’s feet were stuck.

I blew a crackling flamethrower. The flames were far hotter than I expected in this frigid environment.

When my flames ebbed, I saw that the Cubchoo wasn’t moving. Whether it fainted or was faking, I wasn’t about to check. I moved back towards Flake and we continued carrying the shipment.

“Are all the wild Pokémon around here like that?” I asked, still taken aback by the viciousness of the little Cubchoo.

“Simply put, the only food source around here is wild Pokémon and they’re extremely few in number. You might not see another for months. The ones who survive are the most bloodthirsty.”

We continued to pull the cart in silence. I couldn’t get the frothing intensity of the Cubchoo’s face out of my mind. The thought of having to live like one of these Pokémon was chilling.

*****​

“We’re almost to our destination,” Flake said as we both pulled the cart across the snowy landscape. We had long since crossed the mountains and the Snow Flats on the other side. According to Flake, the deadly storms happen on both sides of the mountain and we had to endure several of them just to get here. Even though I was protected from the storms, they still stole a lot of my energy. Shear exhaustion had me panting. So, when Flake said we were nearing our destination, my relief was overwhelming.

I heard the wind start to pick up and my heart sank. “Another storm?” My voice cracked and faded as exhaustion tried to steal the sound from me.

Flake chuckled at my dismay, which confused me. “Yes, another storm, but not one of the white death. We’re no longer in the Snow Flats now so we don’t have to worry about any more super storms.”

“Where are we then?” I pushed through my stiff lips.

“We’re in the Snow Plains.”

“What’s the difference?” I croaked while searching the horizon for any notable landmarks. The only one I could find was a lone mountain straight ahead of us.

“Well, the difference is that the Snow Plains don’t get deadly storms like the Snow Flats and well…that’s about it.”

I’m not sure how Flake could tell the difference. The desolate land was still covered in the same white snow that went on for as far as the eye could see. The similarity to a desert I had once traversed with my old group was not lost on me.

We continued our journey, heading straight for the mountain and only stopped once we reached its base.

The sky-scraping pillar of stone and snow loomed over us in eerie silence. Flake started examining the sloping ground for some reason, but I was long passed caring as my exhaustion threatened to take over. My weary body felt like a raging furnace, but my legs were still numb.

I blew a little flame in an effort to warm up my paws. I noticed something, or perhaps, a lack of something. I didn’t hear anything. All was peacefully quiet, like the snow choked out all the noise. The storm that I was worried about had never come to pass. I was entranced at the beauty and silence of the endless plane of snow.

*CRACK*

The sudden noise lifted me to my paws faster than my brain could stabilize me and I ended up having half my body sink into snow. I picked myself up and looked over to Flake to see her standing by a block of ice three times her size. I also noticed that a passage in the ground had opened up.

“HEY!” She yelled at me, “Bring the cart over!”

I did as she asked and came up to the new entrance. There, I was surprised to come face to face with a Lucario.

“He with you?” The Lucario asked.

Flake nodded her head.

“Alright, let’s get inside. It’s freezing out here.” Lucario gestured me further into the tunnel.

I was a little apprehensive, but I didn’t faulter at the order and traveled down into the mountain with Flake. I heard another loud thud and looked behind me to find that the exit was plugged by that enormous block of ice. How Lucario was able to carry that thing, I had no idea.

Only a few steps in and I had already reached the base. The first room I gazed at from the short hallway was about as big as a large hut, built out of rock and littered with supplies. Various tools and equipment were strewn across the walls like streamers. In the center of the little room was a beacon, perfectly sized for the room. The fire in the beacon did not contain the average red but radiated a beautiful gold. As I drew closer, it became warmer and more radiant. I was beginning to feel like my wrapping was unnecessary here. As we entered the room, I became aware of two doorways on either side that led to other rooms

“Master!” My attention was drawn away as Flake rushed passed us into the room on the left. “Master Glacier, it’s so good to see you again.” My view was obstructed by Flake.

I walked into the room to get a better picture of this master. “It’s nice to see you again, too, Flake.” The voice rang with feminine maturity.

I gazed upon Glacier, her coat was the deep blue of thick ice. The Glaceon returned my stare, the aged wisdom of her white pupils seemed to dance with an adventurous spirit. “And who might this be?” I couldn’t help but catch the caution in her words.

I tried to introduce myself, but the cloth covering my face muffled the sounds. I pawed at the mask in an effort to remove the wrapping but the bulky pads made things difficult. Meanwhile, Flake introduced me. “This is Valixalyle. He’s a Ninetales who wants to help me rescue Pokémon.”

As I tried to work off the bandages covering my face, I began to overheat in the very cloth that had protected me. I was more desperate than ever to get it off.

“Hold still, you’re going to ruin the cloth.” Flake’s forceful voice had me stopping. Using her teeth and paws simultaneously, she slowly unwrapped my body. I felt another pair of hands start to unwrap me as well, but I couldn’t swivel my head to identify who it was. The heat became unbearable and I started panting. To my surprise, I was panting fire.

“Looks like the suit is doing its job and keeping you warm.” Glacier commented, “So while they’re getting you out of that, why don’t you tell me who you are.”

My bandages were removed just enough for me to speak unimpeded, “I’m Valixalyle, and just as Flake said, I want to help her rescue Pokémon.”

“Why?” Her simple question was laced with skepticism.

I took a moment to collect my thoughts. Why was it that I wanted to rescue Pokémon? “I want to help those who are trapped. I don’t want anyone to be left alone to die. I have a chance to save Pokémon here, where they need it most, and I don’t want to leave them dying in the snow.” I felt my answer was flimsy and didn’t adequately express what drove me to this decision, but it was the best one I could come up with under her piercing gaze.

Glacier looked at me, seemingly as unsatisfied with my answer as I was, “The snow is beautiful, and uncaring. You’d better be able to stand your ground against it.”

As Flake removed the last bandages around my face, I took in my surroundings. The room I found myself in had only one thing in it, a giant dining table with many chairs. Torches with golden flame lined the walls. We were not, in fact, alone in this room. Along with Glacier and Flake, there was a hulking Magmortar and an ice-type I couldn’t identify. The ice-type belonged to the other pair of hands unwrapping me.

Glacier, seeing me eyeing the other Pokémon, proceeded to introduce them. “This is Magnitar,” she gestured towards the quiet Magmortar, “and this is Lass, the Froslass,” she gestured to the mysterious ice-type who was helping remove the wrappings. “They’re my exploration team.”

I looked at Lass in awe, “I’ve never heard of a Froslass before.”

Lass spoke for herself, “We Froslass do not live beyond the land of perpetual storm you call Snow Flats. Crossing it is impossible for us.”

Finally, free from the prison of warmth, my body filled with relief as my burning hot skin came into contact with the cold air of the cave. Even with the torches burning their heavenly glow, it still wasn’t able to keep the air at what I’d call a warm temperature.

“What is this place?” I finally asked, the mystery of the cave consuming my thoughts.

“We often do explorations up here, so we built this safehouse in case anything went wrong. Though it’s kind of turned into our headquarters.”

“Are you going to be staying for a while?” Flake asked eagerly.

“Not that long unfortunately,” Glacier replied a little solemnly. “We came back for a resupply but we’re heading back out soon. Sorry that we can’t stay longer.”

I could see Flake deflate. It seemed that being with her master was something she looked forward to. I stepped up to hopefully rescue the situation, “Surely you can spare one day?”

To my surprise, it was Flake who stopped me, “No, we should get going as well.”

Her words shocked me, I thought she wanted to see her master more. She talked about how much she wanted to see her on the way here.

“You two should stay and rest up,” Lucario, who was standing behind us in the entry way, spoke up. “Your journey’s a tough one.” I couldn’t help but agree with that, “I’ll show you to your beds.”

I started to follow Lucario before I looked back at Flake, “You coming?”

“I’ll catch up with you,” is all she said in response.

 

Spoiler: Chapter 5 Trail by Ice

With the sun high in the sky, the ever-flowing fields of snow glistened like diamonds. I gazed at the sparkling field as I munched my apple, careful to keep it from freezing over in the morning air. Half my body felt like it was on fire under the thick cloth, while the other half was being consumed by the frosty air. Having left Glacier’s outpost and crossed back over the mountains, we were in place to begin rescue patrols.

“So, how are we going to help save other Pokémon?” I asked while taking another bite of my apple.

“Well,” Flake gathered her thoughts, “We will be scanning the Snow Flats for any sign of Pokémon and rescue those that we can.”

I took a moment to consider her words, “Huh, there’s no trick to it? You just walk around and stumble on Pokémon?”

“Kind of,” she said in response. “Sometimes I can sniff them out, other times I can see emergency beacons from explorer badges. However, the Snow Flats are a really big place and I need to patrol constantly to find those in trouble. It may take weeks before I see even one Pokémon.”

“That long?” I asked a little surprised at the idea of the extended isolation.

“Pokémon rarely come into the Snow Flats and this place is so immense that it’s hard to find them when they do.”

I hurriedly finished my apple and jumped up with enthusiasm, “Well then, no time to waste. Let’s go.”

Flake smiled a little and got up to follow me.

We tread the blanket of snow until the sun landed on the horizon. I could feel the cold winds of night nipping at my bones. “Should we start to look for a place to…” My voice trailed off as I watched Flake. She was sniffing around. “What is it?”

“This way,” was all she said before darting off.

I tried my best to follow, but her snowy silhouette made it nearly impossible to distinguish her in the fading light.

When we came to a stop at an uninteresting patch of snow, I tried to catch my breath. Flake didn’t. She began digging, pawing piles of snow behind her in urgent determination. I realized with a start that she was digging up buried explorers and rushed to her aid.

“Can you still use flamethrower?” Flake panted, pointing at the snow.

I nodded and bellowed a pillar of fire. The frozen winds tore at the flames, but they reached their mark and scorched the snow with enough heat to melt it.

Flake yelled at me to quit and dove into the resulting hole. She suddenly stilled and the quiet engulfed us.

The silence was almost as unbearable as the frozen wind. “Flake?” I asked concerned. I stepped up behind her and gazed into the pit. The sight horrified me and I tripped over my own legs as I tried to backpeddle. The face of a Furret, frozen in its last moments, stared back at me. I knew it wasn’t uncommon for an exploration team to meet its end, but I hadn’t really thought about how it would feel to come face to face with it. I took a deep shuddering breath and tried to steady myself. My thoughts focused on a whisper from Flake.

“Only dead by a day,” the hushed words trembled, “If only I hadn’t… if only I had been faster…”

I took a step closer to try to console her, but before I could give voice to a single word, Flake stood and climbed out of the pit. She resumed traveling in the direction we had been going.

I looked back down before calling to Flake with the beginnings of incredulous anger tinging my voice, “We’re just going to leave them?”

“The next storm will bury them.” Her words were simple.

I couldn’t believe that we were just leaving an exploration team out here. Even if they didn’t make it, usually some proof was brought back, “Aren’t we at least going to collect their badges?”

“Finding all of them would take too long. I must hurry to save those I can.”

I had the feeling she was talking more to herself than me. I turned to the pit and uttered a prayer before I ran to catch up with Flake. Flake showed no signs of stopping as the sun dipped below the horizon. As the night air began to chill my bones, I had the sinking feeling that we weren’t resting for the night.

*****​

Snow. Where once I was captivated by the beauty of the pearly white landscape, now it was simply a mundane backdrop to our endless patrols. We only paused in our scouting to deliver supplies once a month. I missed bathing in fire, a commodity that just doesn’t survive in the frozen north even if I try to make it. I missed sleeping in a warm bed, devoid of the harsh winds that woke me at night. I missed the hot food of a proper kitchen rather than the cold raw fruits we had to carry. The winds that used to sap my energy barely touched me anymore, so at least that’s a plus.

“Storms coming,” Flake stated as the hulking grey clouds ravenously rushed towards us. Though those storms terrified me in the beginning, we had survived enough of them that I was becoming apathetic.

I reattached the red guide wire between the two of us. When I looked up, I saw Flake engrossed in sniffing the air. Before words escaped my mouth, a strange scent wafted past my nose. It was the first time I smelled anything in months and, although it was faint, it was distinct.

Flake’s head turned to the storm, “They’re in there,” before waiting for my response, Flake rushed forward into the raging blizzard, practically dragging me along behind her.

As the storm intensified, I began to lose sight of Flake, the bright red wire my only lead.

We traversed the storm for what felt like an eternity, Flake leading the way while I stumbled around behind her. Then I faintly saw an odd distortion through the snowy fog. Apparently, Flake also picked up on it as she immediately changed direction.

When we arrived at where I thought the distortion was, nothing but white remained. The wind became frighteningly strong and I realized, as my body chilled, that Flake had lowered her blizzard barrier. I had no idea what had happened to Flake. Panic welled up inside me as my limbs began to numb.

A voice yelling in my ear almost made me jump. I could feel the face next to my ear but even then, the words seemed miles away, “Use your flames to beat back the storm!”

My fears eased knowing that Flake was okay. I turned to face the lethal winds. Unlike being in Flake’s protective bubble, this was horrifying. Starring down these ravenous white winds took more courage than starring down any Pokémon. The urge to run away threatened to consume me as I felt the snow quickly bury my huge snowshoes. I removed the covering over my mouth and took a long deep breath of the frigid dry air. With all the power I could muster, I channeled my raging emotions into a pillar of fire. The results were not impressive. The column of fire was not the huge gale that Flake had used to hold back the storm, but just a simple flamethrower. However, a simple flamethrower was enough to keep some of the winds off my partner. As my breath ran dry, a frightening feeling crept into my lungs and I hacked. I tried to take another breath, but the cold wind seared my throat and only a pathetic flicker of the previous flamethrower fell from my lips.

No, I need more, I thought.

I pooled all my reserves. I took another deep breath of the icy air and the flames I had longed for came out with a huff. They barely extended beyond my face, but I felt like it was sustainable. I couldn’t help but be overjoyed that for the first time I was beating back this hellish storm that was trying to take my life, even if it was just a little.

I felt Flake tap my shoulder before yelling in my ear. “Keep them warm. Don’t worry about the storm.” She once again disappeared into the storm with only the red tether connecting us.

I turned to see two grey blobs on the ground, the storm obscuring their forms. I quickly went to their aid, shielding the Pokémon with my body. The size of one of them made it difficult. I tried to pull them in as close as possible and put my back to the storm. To heat them up, I used my minuscule flamethrower. This was the first time I purposely tried not to hit some-Pokémon with a flamethrower and it proved challenging. My continuous breath of flame quickly became strenuous.

All my thoughts were quickly dashed aside as I felt snow pile up on my back at an alarming rate. My mind betrayed me as it flashed back to my first venture with the storm and how it consumed me and my friends. My mind flashed back to the Furret we found, but I couldn’t stop envisioning myself in his place.

I felt a bubble of hysteria welling up as snow continued to bury me. My flames wavered as I struggled to hold onto my composure. I’m not going to die here, I’m not going to die here, I thought in a vain attempt to quell my fears.

Right before the instinct to jump up and run overwhelmed me, a paw tapped my shoulder. I spun around to see Flake. She pointed at the Pokémon that I had huddled around me and then pointed at a sled. I didn’t even give it a second thought. On pure instinct, I got up and lifted the Pokémon with me. Perhaps not the smartest idea as the Pokémon was huge, difficult to grip and weighed a ton. Flake used her tails to pick up the other Pokémon, something that I was extremely jealous of because I could never hope to be so skilled with my tails. She then assisted me with moving them onto the sled. The sled had an igloo of ice on it. How it got there I didn’t know and, at the moment, I didn’t care. We hoisted the Pokémon onto the sled and Flake went to the push bar. I moved to assist, but Flake stopped me with the shake of her head. She simply pointed at the two Pokémon and I knew what she meant. I felt bad leaving her to push the sled alone, but she was right, I was the only one that could keep them warm.

As the sled began to move, I huddled up with the two mysterious Pokémon and let out a simple flame.

*****​

The snowstorm ravaged on. The protective igloo that Flake had made spared the three of us from the worst of it, but it didn’t help Flake who was pushing the cart outside. I could see her warding off the winds through the unprotected entrance. I couldn’t help but feel bad for making her endure the storm. Inside the igloo, it was actually rather warm compared to the outside air. The surrounding ice kept the winds off us and the heat from my flames contained. I had to make sure that my pillar of fire was weak enough not to melt the igloo or burn our passengers, but also strong enough to provide heat when the storm’s ravenous air blew in. It was a strenuous process to say the least. Now that my vision was no longer obscured by the storm, I could see that the Pokémon we had saved were Accelgor and Pangoro. When we had initially begun our journey, the Accelgor’s head piece seemed to be a sickly blue. I felt a sense of relief as his reddish color gradually returned. Although I could not see the skin of the Pangoro through his fur, I could only imagine he had gone through the same process.

What had brought them up here? Did they believe what my team did? That there was treasure up here? Is there treasure up here? All I’ve seen is endless snow. Why? Why would they send exploration teams up here to die? My flames began to erupt and I forced myself to calm down to regain control of the flames.

The Accelgor stirred in their sleep. I couldn’t help but think that this is what I looked like when Flake saved me. Then he woke up. I was so startled by his sudden rise that I completely lost control of my flamethrower and had to quell it. The Accelgor sat up and rocked his head, clearly showing that his senses had not entirely returned to him yet.

“Uh, Flake,” I tried to get her attention.

The voice that I heard back sounded like it was miles away and strained, “Handle it.”

“Hello,” I tried at a flimsy greeting.

The Accelgor didn’t seem to register it. Slowly, I saw the Accelgor’s eyes fill with life, and then panic.

“It’s alright, we aren’t here to hurt you.” I tried to sooth, but it appeared to have little effect.

“Who are you?” He said as he rushed to the wall like a cornered wild Pokémon.

“We’re a rescue team, we’re here to help.” That seemed to calm him down a little.

“I…I thought we were in the snowstorm.” He said still trying to assess his bearing.

“You still are,” Flake’s voice was like a whisper against the whirling winds outside.

The Accelgor’s eyes were drawn outside to the voice, then to the fallen comrade next to him.

“Where’s Lilith?” His eyes searched the igloo for a form that was not there.

“Who?” I asked. I only remembered seeing two Pokémon.

“The Lilligant didn’t make it.” Flake’s words made the room silent, and heavy.

“No…Lilith can’t be…can’t be…there’s no way Lilith could die…”

My own emotions were whirling inside me like an inferno. I felt angry that Flake didn’t save Lilith, that I couldn’t have saved them. Fear mixed with that anger as I thought that I could have been in the same place as that Lilligant. Despite my own emotions, the Accelgor was visibly in distress. I had to put my thoughts on hold because there was someone who needed me now. I tried to think of a way to console him. Before I could form my thoughts into words, the Accelgor got to his feet and quickly darted out of the Igloo.

“W…Wait!” His sudden movements surprised me at first. “It’s dangerous!” I knew my words fell on deaf ears as no one could hear once they stepped into that frozen blizzard. As if being hit by it all at once, I felt the room slowly chill from the outside air.

Flake, who was equally surprised by the Accelgor’s rash action, disconnected the tether and spoke quickly. “Push the cart in circles around this,” Flake let out an ice beam and in mere seconds, a tall pillar of ice reached for the heavens. “This will keep the Igloo warm while you’re pushing.” She tossed a glowing lantern into the hut. “I’ll find you later.” And like that she disappeared into the blinding white blizzard.

I was left a little dazed from the entire exchange and had to take a second to process it all. Once I had gathered myself, I began my tasks. I recoiled as I exited the warm igloo into the freezing winds, but I had to push the sled or we’d be buried. I couldn’t help but feel the weight of isolation bear down on me almost as furiously as the storm itself. Even though I knew that Flake would return, I couldn’t help but feel abandoned in this place of death. The chill of the air bit down on me and kept sinking deeper as time went on. The winds battered at me as I rotated endlessly around the pillar of ice, getting closer and closer to the top as the snow piled up.

*****​

Rays of light penetrated through the icy walls of the igloo. The intrusion of the unwanted light on my eyelids forced me to stir. My whole body was sore and all I wanted was just a little more sleep, but the rising sun had other ideas. Reluctantly, I woke up and stretched my aching muscles.

“Guess I fell asleep waiting,” I said to no one in particular. A sudden surging pain enveloped me in my chest. I instinctively covered the area with a paw and recoiled. As suddenly as the pain appeared, it disappeared leaving me more confused than hurt.

The storm had subsided long ago and now I was just waiting for Flake to return. However, it had been an entire night and I was starting to get worried. I looked over at our still unconscious passenger with the lantern beside him. I found it strange how the lantern had spent this entire time burning, yet it looked like it was just lit. Although the golden glow was only the size of a candle flame, I could feel it radiate power and life.

“What is this thing?” the mystery gripped me.

I put the lantern down and went outside. I could feel the chill morning air even through my thick layers of cloth. Pristine snow greeted me as far as the eye could see with mountains in the background contrasting against the white…nothing’s changed even after the storm. I did notice that the tall pillar Flake had made was now only a small stub sticking out of the ground. Just how much snow do these storms drop? I became increasingly concerned for Flake as the thought of her being buried lingered.

“I’m going to find her.” I finally said. It’s already been a day and we don’t have the supplies to last. And what if another one of those storms strike, I need to find Flake before that. I tried to rationalize.

I began to push the sled in the direction where I thought Flake had run off to. The mountains were a good anchor point to judge the direction. With the mountains to the north, I’d say I was going Northwest.

I wandered aimlessly with no sign of her. I heard a voice on the wind but couldn’t make out any words. I searched around but saw nothing for miles. Again, a voice with no words, as if the whispers were nothing more than the chattering of the wind. I began to think I was hallucinating until I finally saw something off in the distance. A form, not like Flake’s, sat just out of focus.

I quickly rushed to what I thought was a Pokémon. As I stumbled upon where I thought I saw the form, there was nothing but open air.

“Maybe I am hallucinating,” Then suddenly, the wind picked up and a strange smell assaulted my nose. It was the smell of a Pokémon. My heart filled with childlike glee as I had finally caught a whiff of Flake. I feverishly followed the scent.

I was so engrossed in tracking the smell that I tripped and tumbled forward. My body was once again rudely reminded of how much it ached. It was a struggle to get my paws under me with these massive snow boots. When I went to see what had tripped me, I saw a small ice pipe. I peered down the pipe but saw only darkness.

“Hello,” My shouted echoed down the pipe, not expecting a response.

“Hello,” an echoing voice returned, frightening me.

“Flake is that you?”

“Yes Valixalyle, could you help dig us out?”

“Of course,” I shouted back before beginning to dig at the snow around the ice. I was easily able to displace the light surface snow, but as I went deeper the snow slowly became more dense and harder to dig. I had to use my flamethrower to melt through the packed snow. After several flamethrowers, I came upon a wall of thick ice. I couldn’t break it with my paws if I wanted to. I was forced to slowly melt through the hard ice with my flames.

Once I had breached the ice, I found a cavity underneath, a cavity with only Flake in it.

“Hey,” I shouted down to Flake. “Grab onto this.” I threw down one end of the red tether.

Flake grabbed on and I started hoisting her up. I strained to keep my balance as I found it hard to grip the icy slope. A few strenuous moments later, she was up.

“Valixalyle, I’m sorry for leaving you alone and getting trapped,” Flake said, “I got a little too carried away.”

I was at a loss for how to respond. I was still new to this rescue team thing and I didn’t really know what to say. I just tried to find a way to cheer her up, “Isn’t it our job to risk our lives saving others? No need to feel down over it.”

“It’s more than that, my reckless actions put you in danger.”

“I guess…”

We stood in the pit surrounded by awkward silence. Flake was the first one to climb out and I followed.

“So, you weren’t able to find him then?” I asked dejectedly, already knowing the answer.

Flake smiled back at me and fluffed her tails. That’s when I noticed that they were curled up. She stepped up to the igloo and unraveled her tails and Accelgor came tumbling out, along with a lantern.

Flake turned to me and said, “If I risk your life to save another, I’ll always make sure that I save that Pokémon’s life. No matter what.”

 

Spoiler: Chapter 6 Snow Cloaked Adventurers

As we reached the edge of the snow flats, the frigid turbulent air stilled. It came as a relief as I was finally able to warm up. We were headed back to the town to drop off the two Pokémon we had just rescued. I was concerned they hadn’t woken up, but I appreciated how much easier it was to transport them unconscious. I had given up trying to warm our passengers with my flames and left it to the lanterns. I was too worn out to keep going. Instead, I turned what energy I had left to helping Flake push the sled across the frozen wasteland.

Ahead of us lay the edge that would drop us off the snowy plateau and into the forest below. We would reach the village soon and I wouldn’t have to worry about their safety anymore. I couldn’t wait to rest at the village. I hadn’t taken a break since I joined up with Flake months ago. I could easily spend an hour bathing in fire after the ordeals I’d gone through.

As we crested the hill and dove into the forest, I asked, “so what will we need to do in town.” Even if I wanted to relax, we should still prepare for the next outing.

“We’re not going into town.”

My thoughts froze, leaving me with only the chill of the air.

“We’ll drop them off and return to patrolling.” She said sternly.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Sure, I wanted to save those trapped out in the snow, but I couldn’t keep going forever. I was freezing every waking moment in the Snow Flats and I needed some time to actually warm my body up.

“Don’t you think we should at least take a break to gather our energy…”

“NO!” Flake’s sudden adamant refusal stunned me.

We walked in awkward silence for a few moments while I tried to recover.

“No,” Flake said calmer than before, “It’s dangerous in the town and, besides, we’d spend too much time there. We need to move out immediately after we drop them off.”

“I…” At first, I struggled to speak my mind, but as I continued, my words became more fluid. “I want to save Pokémon, but I can’t keep going on like this. It’s been months since I’ve rested.”

“We can rest on the flats,” Flake said, frustration rising in her voice.

“You may be able to, but I can’t.” I couldn’t stop now. My bottled up emotions came roaring out like a tidal wave.

“It doesn’t matter, we’re the only ones who can save them,” Flake argued.

“I can’t save them if I can’t even feel my own legs.”

“You can!” Flake shouted.

“I can’t!” I shouted back.

The village came into sight just beyond the trees.

“Fine then,” Flake detached herself from the sled and emptied our passengers onto the floor. “Go rest. I will help the others.” And like that, she walked back the way we had come and was quickly out of sight.

I felt a lingering sense of regret as I was left alone in the snow. Despite how I felt, I needed to focus. There are two Pokémon that need my help. I was able to toss the Accelgor onto my back, but as I examined the Pangoro, I realized there was no way I could carry him alone. Perhaps I should ask a member of the town to help me?

As if answering my call, I heard the hurried footsteps of a Pokémon approaching. I looked ahead to see a Sawk struggling to reach us in the snow. When he came up to us, he looked at me in awe before turning his attention to the downed Pangoro.

“I will carry him for you,” the Sawk said, he lifted the huge mass onto his shoulders without breaking a sweat. Or it could have just been too cold for him to sweat.

We made our way into town. As we stepped through the street, I felt the familiar feeling of being watched by everyone. I ignored it as I still had a very important delivery to make. I didn’t actually know where I was going, so I let the Sawk take the lead. Sawk entered the guild outpost embedded into the wall. Once again, the blissfully warm air greeted me, although it didn’t feel as good as I remembered it.

We entered the room filled with straw beds. It felt like an eternity since I had woken up here after Flake saved me. I gently lowered the Accelgor onto one of the beds.

An Audino quickly dashed her way into the room and attended to the Pokémon without giving us a second glance.

I couldn’t help but ask, “Will they be okay?”

“Don’t know yet,” the Audino didn’t even look up from her examination.

“It’s best if we just let her do her work guardian. She has helped dozens of rescued Pokémon.” The Sawk said.

Yeah, I shouldn’t get in her way. I started to step out of the room, my legs growing weaker with each step. Wait?! Guardian?! I stopped and looked down at the Sawk who returned my gaze with admiration. “Uh…” I squirmed, not really knowing how to respond. Then it hit me all at once, a wave of fatigue and relief crashed down upon me. My legs buckled and failed under the weight. I could hear the shouting of voices, but the beckoning call of sleep drowned them out and pulled me deeper into the inky blackness.

*****​

A dull pain seethed in my stomach and slowly woke me from a dreamless slumber. My whole body ached as I slowly stirred, not wanting to wake yet. Eventually, my hunger got the better of me and I forced my eyes open. The room was quiet, still and bathed in darkness. Moonlight streaked the room from the window on the far wall. Though my aching body protested, I got my paws under me and began to stiffly search for some food.

I quietly limped out of the bedroom and into the foyer. I felt a joy I hadn’t had for months, a wave of heat encasing my body. It burrowed into my limbs and eased the pains of rising. I stepped up and huddled into the bonfire in the center of the foyer. It’s crackling flames illuminated the darkness, making the walls dance with shadows. The warmth of the fire radiated blissfully into me. I wanted to revel in that feeling a bit longer, but fate and my stomach had other ideas.

“I see you’re up.” A Brelom came up to me as it spoke, “You gave everyone an awful scare the other day.”

“I scared you?” I asked confused as to how I scared the town.

“Yes, when you collapsed yesterday. Not to mention, you look a lot like our town’s Guardian.”

I don’t want them to confuse me with Flake, “I’m not the Guardian…”

“We already know that,” the Brelom said, “our spirit channeler confirmed it for us. Still, you helped save those two so you’re a hero in my book. I’m Bresob, nice to meet you hero.”

Even though he extended a claw, I was left so speechless that the only thing that responded to him was the growl of an impatient stomach.

Bresob chuckled, “If you’re hungry, I’m sure I can whip something up for you. I am the best chef around these parts.” He boasted proudly.

I sheepishly nodded as my cheeks burned with a red intensity I had all but forgotten.

“Then I’ll whip up a fast one for our hero,” he started off for the mess hall.

The image of hero in my mind was that of a powerful team of explorers that took down criminals in the name of justice. How was I a hero when I couldn’t even convince a single Ninetales to take a break? What kind of hero am I if I can’t save those that need it? Images of the frozen Furret filled my mind. I quickly tried to bury those images under the snow. “I’m…I’m no hero” I timidly protested.

With a gleeful smile he said, “Whatever you say hero.”

But still, being called a hero sounded nice.

*****​

The morning chill was bearable. I sat outside on the frozen ground, resting my back against the walls of the old outpost. Snow obscured the ground except on the main pathways. The sky above me didn’t allow a speck of sunlight through its thick layers, blanketing the land in grey. The freezing winds nipped at my sides, but it wasn’t as bad as what I remembered. I took a deep breath and let it out. What came from my mouth surprised me, a grand fireball filled the air and lingered for a few moments like a confused spirit. But I guess that’s exactly what I was.

I remembered the argument I had with Flake the other day. It seemed like so long ago. What made Flake so angry? What made me so angry?

I blew a little flame to heat my chilling paws and accidentally set fire to the ground around me with an unexpectedly powerful blaze. Fortunately, the flames died quickly. I think I was mad because I was cold and tired, but…

I looked up at the sky, so grey and devoid of life. The image of the lone Furret once again invaded my mind, its last expression frozen in ice forever. Was it one of shock? Pain? Or was its relief? I didn’t know. But one thing I did know, I was scared. Deep down, I saw myself buried in his stead. Would I ever be like him, trapped in ice, frozen for eternity? What life did he leave behind? Would his family have been sad to never hear of him again. Yes, it’s not uncommon to hear about Pokémon disappearing in mystery dungeons never to be seen again, but who would weep for this Furret? My mind went to my own family, or lack thereof. They aren’t here to weep for me if I end up in Furret’s place. My existence will just end without anyone knowing or caring.

For the first time since I came outside into the freezing air, I shuddered and felt cold.

The dark clouds above me finally began their assault, but rather than the raging blizzards I was used to, all that came was a slow, gentle fall of snowflakes. I remembered a phrase I once heard back in the guild, that when it snows, it muffles sound and quiets the lands. Perhaps that isn’t as good or beautiful as he made it out to be, being muffled by the falling snowflakes never to be heard from again. Flake. Will she be consumed by the snow too? From the dark terrible part of my mind, I saw Flake buried where the Furret should have been. That image made my blood run cold. Why was she so insistent on running back out there when she could die! As if someone was pulling levers in my body, I felt my blood turn red hot and then chill as I remembered something she said during our argument.

“It doesn’t matter, we’re the only ones who can save them.”

“We’re the only ones who can save them?” Those lost souls that were misguided straight to their deaths by those guild masters. That Furret never knew. Sure, he could have known the danger. Even our veteran team knew that the snow flats were dangerous before going in, but he never knew that this would have been his end. And we can stop their end from being here.

“I just don’t want us to end here as well.”

“Sounds like quite the conundrum,” a sickly old voice said beside me.

I immediately jumped half a meter and made an audible “WHAA!” Once I composed myself, I looked up to see a Mismagius had snuck up beside me. I remembered her from the last time I was in town. “You scared me,” I said while trying to calm my breathing, “again.”

“You think that they end here,” The wispy words confused me at first, “but they don’t.”

My eyes went wide when I finally made the connection, “How…how did you read my…” She didn’t let me finish.

“You of all should know, that they still follow us to this day. Travel to the spirit world isn’t always wanted. They live among us either for hate or love, haunting or helping. They are always with us.” She then floated away and disappeared into the snow riddled stack of buildings.

Who is she? I always found those connected to the spirits to be rather crazy, but not only did her words make sense, but she seemed to read my mind. Putting aside my uneasiness at the possibility of being mentally violated, I thought about what she said. We won’t end here, and they won’t end here. Even in death, we will be helping others. It doesn’t mean we should throw our lives, or the lives of others, away.

I started to shake off these thoughts until something whispered in my ear, a voice without sound or words. But those that have passed, may still be with us even now. I thought of my family long since gone, the Furret and all the others lost in the snows. Perhaps, just maybe, we’re not the only ones who can save them.

I took a deep breath in and out. On the exhale, a stunning fireball shot from my lips. For a moment, I could have sworn I saw the fire dance in front of me.

*****​

The days grew mundane as I rested in the town. Eat, sleep, think. Maybe the occasional firewood collecting or stoking Pokémon’s firepits. I felt like I was getting luxury treatment as even the food was free of charge. I felt bad about taking advantage of the town for so long, but right now I was so surprised to have a visitor in the dining hall that my thoughts dwelled only on him. He was larger than life, his tall figure nearly scratched the rocky ceiling and he took up the seats of three Pokémon. The green spines on his back made everyone else in the room wary of passing behind him. The mammoth Tyranitar was speaking with another Pokémon, a Weavile, at the end of the table. I recognized the Weavile as being one of the residents here. What scared me more than anything else were the rumors, they say they are always wild and that one Tyranitar can level a mountain. Whoever this Pokémon is, he could easily destroy this entire village, let alone me. Their conversation was weird and confusing, often not making any sense, so I stopped listening in. I felt two sets of eyes on me, even though I couldn’t see them. I felt the booming and shaking of the ground beneath my feet as the Gigalith-sized Pokémon stomped towards me, but my overwhelming urge to run couldn’t compete with the terror that rooted my paws.

“Ahem,” For a moment I felt like I was about to hear thunder, but instead a very calm and polite voice greeted me, “Would you happen to be Valixalyle?”

I turned to see a green tower above me. “Y…Yes, that’s me.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Tyran,” he extended one of the spikes attached to his side. Not wanting to get on this beast’s bad side, I took the spike with my paw.

“W…What brings you…” To talk to me.

“Oh, I’m just visiting. I come every once in a while, just to check on things. I used to take regular exploration trips up here and I’m quite fond of this little town.”

His eyes didn’t always seem to be on me. That’s when I noticed that the dining room was rather populated today. An unusual number of the town’s Pokémon filled the room. The air was tense, and I could feel emotions flying high. The emotions ran the gamut of hate, anger, concern, worry, lust and greed. I couldn’t make hide nor hair of the situation, but if I could feel their emotions, it meant it was all directed at me. Even though I’d grown accustomed to living amongst them, and gotten friendly with a few of them, every bone in my body was screaming at me to bolt out of the room.

“What about you,” the Tyranitar asked, “what brings you to this quaint little town.”

The room fell silent as the tension grew. Now the hulking Tyranitar wasn’t what scared me the most. “I…I was sent here on a mission…”

“Oh, a mission? That sounds grand,” his jovial voice didn’t match with the emotions I felt from him. “I don’t want to get in the way of your mission, so why not tell me which guild sent you? So, I can steer clear and all.”

Is he after me because I deserted my guild?! No, no that doesn’t explain everything else. What is going on here?! How…how much should I tell him? I remember…Then it dawned on me, what Flake had said when we parted, “It’s dangerous in the town” I never thought that this is what she meant. I’ve got to pretend, maybe I can use my old guild’s name as a way to hide… “I’m from Sertila’s Bounty Hunter Guild…” My voice trailed off as I saw the Tyranitar visibly tense. I didn’t need my sixth sense to tell me that name made him angry.

He quickly regained his composure and jovial attitude as he spoke, “I see, I see. He sent you to explore the north, didn’t he?” A bead of sweat ran down my cheek as I thought of Flake, “and you were turned around by the white death?” More sweat ran down my face as I thought of my desertion.

Then I caught something that sounded unusual, something I only heard Flake say, “White death?”

Tyran shifted for a moment. “It’s an old name. I’m the one who started calling it that.”

If Flake is the only one I heard call it that, and he’s the one who named it, does Tyran know Flake? Maybe he’s trustworthy, I thought, but all the vibes coming off Tyran told a different story.

I had never felt anything like this in my life. It felt like my own skin was being violated by thoughts that weren’t even mine. I could feel that half of the room wanted to protect me, while the other half wanted to keep me for themselves. I couldn’t separate who wanted to do what as it all mixed together in a cauldron of volatile emotions that forcibly wormed its way into my mind. All I wanted was for it to stop. What did they even want? There’s nothing beyond the Snow Flats except…

A chair scraped in the background. Tyran’s eyes were diverted for only a moment, but it was enough to silence the room. “Anyways, are you planning on going back? I can understand why you don’t want to if you failed. I’ve had my run in with the white death many times, but back then there were a few Pokémon who helped me out when I couldn’t handle it on my own.”

I suddenly remembered the outpost. I remembered Flake’s mentor Glacier. Is…is that what they’re after? A part of me was horrified to think that they wanted to capture other Pokémon. Then it dawned on me, I came from a bounty hunter guild. Are there bounties on their heads and that’s why they’re out here? More importantly, does that mean there are bounties on my head? The sudden realization had me panicking. The tense atmosphere made sense. I was being targeted.

“Valixalyle!” I heard my name being shouted from the hall. Keckleon appeared by the door with Bresob by his side. I couldn’t have felt more relieved to see a friendly face. He was catching his breath and trying to maintain a calm, casual voice. “Valixalyle, I have a package for you.”

Tyran turned to face the intrusion. Relief flooded through me as his attention turned away. I could see him shooting daggers at the Keckleon. The Pokémon returned his glare with more courage than I could ever hope to muster.

“Come, don’t keep me waiting Vix,” Keckleon tried to be causal, but I could hear the edge in his voice. Eager to escape the monster house, I practically jumped to his side.

“Hey!” Tyran’s voice froze me in my tracks. I turned to see only half of him facing me as he said with a smile, “Tell those two runts I said hi.”

I had no idea what he meant, but I didn’t wait to find out. I quickly followed after Keckleon as his pace quickened. “Thanks for getting me out of there,” I exclaimed as we stepped out of the hall and into the snowy town. Keckleon didn’t slow his pace, ducking between buildings and into the forest.

“Don’t thank me yet, Flake hasn’t shown up to pick up the supplies this month.” My blood ran cold. “Normally I wouldn’t worry, but considering Tyran’s here, I fear she may have been caught.”

“Who is Tyran anyways?”

“He’s one of the oldest and strongest guild masters ever, as well as being the only non-wild Tyranitar.” His voice dropped ominously, “He is not someone to mess with.”

“You certainly did. Are you going to be alright?”

“Heh,” he chuckled, “He knows better than to go up against the Keckleons who run all the general stores.”

We arrived at a sled covered in supplies, hidden in the snowy trees. “I hope that Flake didn’t get caught up with them,” Keckleon said, biting his lower lip.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find her.” I started to dress myself in the bandages that Flake had lent me. It was a good thing I kept them around in my saddle bags wherever I went. While I was preparing, I asked, “Who were the two runts Tyran mentioned before?”

“Don’t entirely know the whole story myself,” Keckleon explained as he helped me with my dressings, “but the guild that owned this outpost collapsed and I think the two runts he was talking about were the guild masters at the time.” Keckleon held one of my snow boots so I could tie it into my suit.

“Guild masters?” I asked, confused at the idea of more than one.

“Yeah, there were two, only time it ever happened.” The last of my bandages were applied. Keckleon rushed me to the sled, “Quickly before they find us.”

I nodded and got behind the sled’s push bar and forced the heavy load above the snowy ramp. I could see Keckleon wave a quick goodbye before darting into the trees. When I crested the snowy slope, the bone chilling breeze of the Snow Flats met me and I responded with a whisper, “I’m back, now where’s Flake.”

 

Spoiler: Chapter 7 Children of Glacier

I never really appreciated the warmth of the outpost town until now. The heavy winds bombarded me from all angles, making it rather difficult to push the supplies through the Flats. The searing cold winds felt like they were slicing through my bandages and lopping off skin. This wasn’t even one of the deadly blizzards, just the normal winds were enough to freeze me to the bone. The fact that I could still feel anything was reassuring. Meant I could go a ways before I had to stop to warm up. I scanned the horizon for the hundredth time, searching for a single lost Flake in a sea of snow.

“How in the world am I going to find you? You blend in so well. You could be 5 feet in front of me and I wouldn’t be able to tell.”

The wind eerily came to an abrupt stop. I was more alert than thankful at that point. A gentle breeze blew to my right and I was compelled to look in that direction. There, in the far distance, I saw some snow literally standing above the ground. “Well, what do you know,” I whispered to myself.

I looked around for a second to ensure that no flying Pokémon were leading me astray. A quick scan revealed nothing but open sky and the grey omens of one of the aberrant blizzards off in the distance. Not letting this blessing slip through my paws, I trudged toward where I thought I saw Flake.

After what felt like hours of traveling through a barren wasteland, I felt I wasn’t getting any closer to my goal. At this point, I didn’t even know where my goal was. For all I knew, I could just be wandering aimlessly in this frozen death pit. I had to stop my heart from racing as my mind instinctually thought back to the Furret. I hope I can find her before anything happens to her, or me. I had warmed up a bit since the winds died down, but I hadn’t warmed up enough for my nose to be working. In nervous frustration I said aloud, “Dumb nose, if you were working this would go a lot faster.”

A sharp voice cut through the air, “What are you doing?”

Relief washed over me as I turned my head to see Flake, who had snuck up next to me. However, the sharpness of her tone and the look on her face was anything but relief, “I’m here looking for you.”

“Well, you’re wasting your time, like you’re wasting mine,” she turned and started to walk away.

I called out after her, “Wait.” She didn’t. “You’re not going to help me carry this?” She didn’t change. “You’re going to abandon your master?” She stopped.

“She can get supplies if she needs them.”

“But she’s waiting for you. They all are,” I stated, a fire welling up inside me. “How could you abandon them so easily?”

“I DIDN’T ABANDON THEM!” She shouted into the empty plains as the winds began to pick up, “THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES!” I was left speechless by the ferocity of her words. “If I help them, I’m abandoning those stuck out here. I’ll never let another life be lost.”

I couldn’t help but empathize with that, but one thing I was sure about, “You can’t save all the Pokémon on your own. There are others…”

The wind wiped at me and I felt myself start to shiver under the bandages, but all my focus remained on Flake when she shouted, “There aren’t others!”

“We seem to think there are others.” Twin voices rang out across the increasingly deafening winds.

Our heads snapped to the side in shock to see two nearly identical white blobs. I couldn’t tell what kind of Pokémon they were as they wore a thick body-covering white sheet, similar to my own. The only real thing I could tell about them was that they were anthropomorphic Pokémon that stood only slightly lower than me. I had to stare further down than I expected in order to find the slits where their eyes rested.

“Who are you,” I asked completely dumbfounded.

“What are you two doing here?” Flake asked.

“Questions can be answered later,” They both explained in unison. “But first,” a masculine voice started before a female one ended, “we better take cover from that.” They both pointed past me. I turned my head to the left and only saw grey.

How did I not notice that? I thought

“Let’s hook up and get through it together,” the twin forms said. To my surprise Flake followed their orders, linking a red line between us. The pair of white Pokémon split, one went in front of Flake and the other behind me. They also had red lines that they used to link up with us. These two Pokémon have the same equipment as us. Just who are they?

Our makeshift line of Pokémon turned to face the oncoming storm. The shear intensity of facing it head on numbed my legs and made the precariously stacked sled of resources shake. With these strange Pokémon leading the way, we pressed onwards into the storm. I expected Flake to start using her blizzard at any moment to counter the weather. To my surprise, the skin tearing, bone biting winds just suddenly stopped. Flake’s blizzard was able to stop most of the storm, but never had I felt the effects of the White Death be completely nullified.

I looked up to see a clear cocoon cover our entire group. With the center line like edges of a knife, the cocoon sliced through the storm like it was nothing. As I stared at the strange new addition to our team in front of us, I noticed an aquamarine glow emanating from where I thought its eyes were and the hands it waved about. These are psychic types, and this barrier…I’ve seen it used before but never like this. It looks like light screen. Though light screen doesn’t totally block everything. So how is it blocking everything here? Just who are these two. My questions would have to wait as we pressed on through the now blessedly mundane tempest.

*****​

We breached the vortex of grey and returned to our desert of white. I was thoroughly exhausted. Sure, we were out of the storms deadly grasp, but lugging around this huge cart of supplies by myself really took a toll on me. As the Light Screen around us faded, I collapsed onto the snow to rest my weary legs. I could only see one of the new individuals in front of me, but they dropped to the ground as well.

“Never gets any easier,” I was jolted in surprise when I heard a voice behind me that I was expecting from the front.

“Who are you two?” I asked in between panting breaths.

The one in front of me linked up with their partner and stood beside me. “Mith,” the one on the left said, “Muith,” the one on the right said, “pleasure to meet you,” they said in harmony.

I stared at the two of them. Other than one voice having a slightly more feminine tone than the other, I couldn’t tell a single thing apart. They looked like identical clones in their body covering cloths.

“What are you doing here Mith and Muith?” Flake said, her voice carried a slight edge.

“We were informed that you missed this month’s delivery,” they said together.

Flake bit her lip for all of a second, “Yeah I did, because I’m out here rescuing others.”

One of the pair turned to face me. They didn’t say anything, just watched. It seemed like they were scraping at my very soul, searching for something with those eyes alone. If that didn’t already make me feel nervous, the emotions I felt from them were unintelligible. It was like their thoughts were mixed and jumbled. Although its common place for high ranked psychic types to purposefully encrypt their emotions, I got the feeling that only a small fraction of the emotions were purposefully jumbled.

“We understand rescuing others trapped here,” the one who wasn’t drilling into my skull with its stare said, “but you cannot just abandon one Pokémon to rescue the other.”

“They can take care of it themselves, these Pokémon can’t,” Flake started to get heated.

“We know that mom can get selfish when it comes to exploration,” Mom?! “But when she does leave, there’s a whole team of Pokémon left behind in the outpost that cannot travel the flats. You can’t just abandon those when mom isn’t around.”

Flake visibly shook in frustration, or was it rage? “It takes a whole week, A WEEK, to travel to the outpost!” Flake was shouting at this point, “Do you know how many I’ve seen die in a day?!”

“Yes,” They said simply.

Flake reached her limit as she slammed her paw into the ground, snow shooting into the air, before taking off.

Mith and Muith seemed uninterested in going after her, instead they turned their heads to face me. “We apologize for the rude display.”

“No, no its fine,” I tried to console them. A part of me thought that this might be how Flake would react, even if I didn’t want to admit it.

“Now about you,” the one on the left said. I was taken aback as both sets of eyes fell upon me with the mix of emotions quickly veering in a negative direction. “Pretty convenient,” the right one said, “that she’d suddenly have these thoughts after meeting you.” I don’t like where this is going. “Did you happen to say anything to her?” the left one finished. For some weird reason, I felt like they were less prying than earlier.

“I…um…” Thinking back I couldn’t come up with anything that I did that would make her think that way. “Would you believe me if I said I had no idea?” I tried, in the vain hope that it would relieve their suspicions.

“Yeah, we believe you,” their uniform cry caught me off guard.

I didn’t expect it to actually work, “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” the left one said, “we routed around in your mind earlier and everything came back clean,” the right one finished.

Good, I’m glad that everything…wait, routed around in my mind?! “You what?!” the snowy terrain carried my voice of both shock and anger.

I could’ve sworn I heard one of them chuckle, but no other sound disturbed the cool air. “You were a potential threat,” the right one said, “we had to make sure you were clean,” Left finished. “We apologize if you found it inappropriate,” they said together.

I tried to level my head. Their argument was completely reasonable, but a part of me felt violated at the idea they swept my mind. Though, that had been happening with alarming frequency lately.

I started after Flake with Mith and Muith at my side. I thought back to the conversation, “You know, what you said to her was a little insensitive.”

“We aren’t known for our Pokémon communication skills,” they said, “Flake is over there,” they pointed, “but we’re also picking up more than one Pokémon.”

I looked across the barren snow. Wind whipped at my cloths and whispered in my ear. She must have found a trapped exploration team, but for some reason, I don’t like this.

I turned my head to see both of my companions staring back at me. I was taken off guard by their sudden intensity, but when they said, “the other Pokémon are hostile,” I abandoned the sled of supplies and raced across the snow as well as I could with these dumb shoes.

It took no time to pick Flake’s unique shape out of all the snow drifts. What I wasn’t expecting to see was Pokémon suddenly leaping from under the snow and aiming at Flake. I pressed myself to go faster. Flake tried to dodge, but the attackers blocked all exits. She let out a dazzling beam of light I could only assume was Dazzling Gleam. I was sprinting as fast as I could across the barren plane, desperate to close the distance. I noted the four attackers and was surprised to see two I recognized. Ferilar and Brow cut off Flake’s escape along with an Ariados and Mightyena.

I saw the Ariados preparing a web. Fortunately, I had closed enough distance. I halted on the snow, firmly planted my paws and targeted an Inferno at the Ariados. The sheer volume of flames that spilled from my mouth engulfed my entire vision and nearly set me on fire. The flames burned through the air towards the unsuspecting Ariados, lighting it, and the web it was making, aflame. Once I was sure the Ariados wasn’t getting up again, I returned to my sprint. The other three Pokémon turned to see what new danger approached them. Before they could get a sightline on me, I charged into their formation and stood beside Flake protectively.

As the ambushers reassessed the situation, I could see that they had no plan to retreat. Ferilar eyed me up as Brow and the Mightyena turned their gaze away from me. I guess I must beat Ferilar before I can get the other’s attention on me. Perhaps this is for the best, now I can get back at him for all the trouble he’s put me through.

“That would be a dumb way to think about it, don’t you think?” “Yes very,” I was rather confused as I heard two voices chat amongst themselves in my head. Wh…What?

“Hi again, it’s me Mith,” one gleefully said waving an invisible hand in my mind. How did I even know he was waving at me? “Because we’re linking with your mind. Just think of it like telepathy. Also, I’m here too. Muith that is.” I’ve heard of advanced teams using telepathy to communicate, but I didn’t think it would be this invasive. It felt like they were dancing on my brain. “To be honest, it isn’t telepathy but linking. That’s why it feels like were ‘dancing on your mind’ because we kind of are.” I hate this already.

I looked around trying to spot the pair, but they were invisible in the pearly white landscape. Why aren’t you two helping in this fight? We could really use someone to balance these odds.

“No can do mister,” Mith thought before Muith, “their end game is us, we can’t let them know we’re here. It’s up to you now.”

For a moment, the image of Tyran and his last words passed through my mind. “Tell those two runts I said hi.” “That’s what we mean when we say we are their end game.” They thought together.

Can you stop distracting me? I need to focus on the enemy. Ferilar was still preparing to charge. “Hmm,” Mith hummed, “Why don’t you take a closer look,” What are you talking about… As I starred at Ferilar’s stance, I saw no imperfections in it, but he seemed to refuse to move. No…he was moving, slower than a slugma, his hands and feet beginning to stretch out at me. “Stop holding them in suspense and just tell them already Mith,” Muith seemed fed up with Mith in my head, “Basically, it’s a side effect of linking where we speed up the processing power of your brain. We do it naturally with ourselves all the time, so we can do it with others very easily.” Speed up the processing power…? What?!

“Um…” Another voice rang out in my head. “What’s going on?” Oh great, another one. “I heard that.” This is nothing like telepathy.

“Everyone just listen,” Muith’s voice overpowered all others for a moment. After a momentary pause, she started up again, “Okay, so we are mind linking so you can communicate more easily. Your thoughts will be transferred to each other as you battle. Any questions?”

“Uhm…”

“Good, now fight!”

Ferilar charged at me, slower than I had expected, but still a charge. I saw his maw fill with water as he prepared some kind of attack. Knowing my weakness to water, I quickly dodged out of the way. However, my movements felt sluggish, as if moving through molasses.

“That’s why we’re still linking your mind, so you can process the situation faster, but we can’t make you move any faster.” Definitely helpful there, but hard to get used to.

“I don’t know if I can beat them.” Flake’s thoughts echoed in my own, “I’ve got two on me.” How much battle experience against other explorer teams do you have? I thought. Even though she didn’t give a response, I could feel that she had none. A part of me felt a little aggravated to be working with someone who was green. Wait, could she feel that?

“Yes,” a pair of voices that I had gotten sick of hearing in my head said. I mentally slapped myself as I thought, focus. Flake, you have a fairy type move, Dazzling Gleam correct? I remembered it from earlier and she confirmed my observations with a head nod, okay, then use that move against the one that’s weak to it, the Mightyena. I felt like I could see through her eyes and I pointed at the black growling creature. Just focus on dodging Brow and defeating the Mightyena. “Good advice, I can see your expertise as a bounty hunter shining through here,” Muith praised me.

I had to shift my thoughts back to Ferilar as he tried to contort his body to face me after my dodge. His mouth opened wide, releasing a jet of water that barreled towards me. My body moved way too slowly to dodge the near point blank Hydropump. I was forcibly pushed away as the torrent of water pummeled me. I felt the agonizing pain of the water type move as it seared the skin under my cloth. To my surprise, the pain wasn’t enough to make me faint.

“You have my light screen to thank for that,” Mith proudly boasted, “but please don’t get hit like that again. It really hurts you know.” It’s not like it’s my intention to get hit.

I considered retaliating with a flamethrower. However, I remembered how Ferilar was incapable of handling the cold. Any fire type move would probably benefit him. Instead, I opted to shoot incredible Psychic power his way through Extrasensory. Ferilar clutched his head in agony as the psychic waves attacked his mind.

“I do know two grass type moves that would be effective here,” Muith said. Unless you’re joining in, it won’t be all that helpful… a sudden surge of foreign power invaded my mind. As if my body condensed the alien energy on its own, an Energy Ball formed at my lips. The release of the super effective attack was enough to send Ferilar reeling back into the snow. What the…!!! I could hear Mith laughing in the background. “Will you cut it out already,” Muith’s angry thoughts filled my mind, “We agreed to never do that to other Pokémon.”

“I just couldn’t help myself,” Mith said through giggles. “Did you see his face?” His thoughts once again dissolved into laughter. I could sense Muith’s frustration peaking.

As my fight with Ferilar progressed, I was somehow watching Flake’s fight unfold as well. It seemed almost like we shared eyes.

The Mightyena jumped at Flake with a flaming mouth of Fire Fang. As I had instructed before, Flake used a Dazzling Gleam on the charging Mightyena. He staggered back, clearly dazed by the hit.

While the Mightyena was charging Flake, Brow prepared a Flash Cannon. When his comrade fell, the glimmering silverish light was sent hurtling towards Flake, who had no time to dodge. The round found it’s mark and I could feel my entire body seizing up with Flake’s at the super effective hit.

As my target Ferilar hit the ground, I turned to assist Flake. By the time I was able to get to her, she had already launched another Dazzling Gleam and the Mightyena fainted.

Great work, I thought, now leave Brow to me. “How heroic,” Mith teased.

I pulled at the flame deep within me and drew out its essence. The result was a fireball that danced at the edge of my lips. I was surprised at the flame’s ferocity given the temperature of the surrounding air. Not letting my flames go to waste in the frigid climate, or letting Brow attack first, I unleased my power in a deadly flamethrower. The giant gong Pokémon was obscured in flames that licked at his steely appearance. Once the flames burned themselves out, they dissipated into thin air. Brow fell with a resounding thud that reverberated across the snow.

Once again, silence returned to the land of white.

I huffed, trying to gather my expended air. The wounds seared my skin even after the fight. Why’d you have to go running off like that Flake, I instinctually thought.

I freaked as I felt a surge of emotions that weren’t mine. I calmed down when I realized that our link hadn’t been severed. “I…I’m not changing my mind,” she thought defiantly, her rage still boiling in the back of my mind, “I will rescue Pokémon, no matter the cost.”

Our blood boiled and thoughts began to mimic, “Not everything is about you. Your taking on us, a companion, and you can’t just think of the Pokémon your saving anymore.”

“I…I…” both Flake and I trembled under the barrage. We felt something formulate deep within ourselves, a base emotion that only now I could put into words. “I…I don’t want anyone to go through what we did.”

The memory flooded to the surface of our mind along with the tears. We were with her, a lone white Vulpix in a sea of snow. Not another soul in sight, utterly alone. Were we abandoned? Left to die? Lost? We don’t know. We traveled endlessly; hungry, cold, and alone. We knew nothing, we had nothing as we traveled the Snow Flats in search of our family. Then we met them, Glacier, she who saved us from nothing. We don’t want anyone else to have to endure what we faced! We remembered when we were lost in the forest so long ago with Spindra’s words melding with Glacier’s. “Help others when you can.”

The world shattered. Something forcefully ripped us apart. Memories and images, words and thoughts flew past my brain in broken shards. My fuzzy brain was left trying to put the pieces together, trying to reassemble reality out of the pile of broken thoughts.

“What happened,” my ears rang with my voice for the first time.

“Things got a little too connected,” Mith and Muith were nothing but fuzzy white blobs as my vision repaired itself.

I wiped my eyes to clear the fogginess, only to find that it was tears obscuring my vision. I cleared them as quickly as I could and got to my paws. I was greeted by the chilling winds that immediately sent me back to huddling on the ground. My head pulsed with pain as it felt like my mind had swollen up and pressed against the sides of my skull. Soon my eyesight returned enough to see Flake in an equally delirious state.

I got my paws under me once again and braved the frigid winds to reach Flake. “I…I know why you’re doing this, and I truly feel the same way you do. But I learned a while ago at my Bounty Hunter guild that what you want to do and what your body can keep up with, don’t often match.” Flake seemed to stare at me, half seeing me, half seeing something else. “We face many life-threating encounters with criminals, I can say that I’ve seen many lose their lives because they were convinced they could defeat them without seeing their own weakness. Please Flake, don’t be one of those fools. Rest for a little bit.” I felt like I was being a little disgraceful by calling those who had departed fools, but everyone around the guild called them that so I guess it rubbed off on me.

Her once ethereal gaze now became firmly fixed on me. She chuckled, which caught me a little off guard. “You know, you could say that for everyone who tries to travel these planes. They’re all fools who don’t see their own limits. Even me.” She lowered her head, and I could see the trace of a tear.

Seeing her cry made my insides knot and I knelt to embrace her.

I didn’t need to hear their warning as I felt it under my protective cloth, “Hey, storms coming.” The twin Pokémon gathered up the defeated Pokémon around us.

Flake instantly stopped crying. “Right,” was all that Flake said as she got to her paws and assisted the pair.

As I prepared the sled for the fallen Pokémon, I said to Flake, “When we get back to town, why don’t we spend a few days relaxing.”

Flake smiled at me and nodded.

Mith and Muith warned, “Just be sure not to stay too long.”

 

Spoiler: Chapter 8 One Night of Rest

The snow-capped trees cluttered the landscape like weeds. Flake and I struggled to maneuver the sled, laden with our assailants, around the dense forest. Mith and Muith had taken over transporting the supplies to the north so we could take these Pokémon back to town. I was glad that the two of them allowed us this chance to rest and I couldn’t be happier that Flake agreed to it. I’d grown attached to Flake over these past few months. She was the first Pokémon I could really call my partner. I could see a clearing ahead and knew we’d arrived.

“You know,” Flake’s voice caught my attention, “this is the first time I’ve been here in years. I wonder how it’s changed?”

A memory floated to the surface, fractured and incomplete. I seemed to be viewing the surroundings through eyes much closer to the ground. Outside the outpost, there was nothing but a Keckleon shop. I remembered talking to that Keckleon, hearing the cheery song he greeted all his customers with. Then I heard another voice call out to me, “Flake” before the memory abruptly ended. I had no idea what to make of any of it, so I decided not to bring it up.

We crossed through the edge of the forest and familiar buildings came into view. I felt Flake hesitate as we pulled the sled forward. I could see a Poliwrath charging across the snow-covered plane until he slid to a stop beside us.

“I’ll keep them warm,” I said to Flake before turning to the Poliwrath, “you take over pushing, and take us to Audino.” I stepped away from my section of the push bar and moved back into the igloo. I pulled at the inferno within me and delicately held a constant, steady flame. I kept an eye on the Poliwrath as he set himself up next to Flake and pushed us into town. I felt like I had to be wary of every Pokémon since my last encounter. If we don’t stay too long, like Mith and Muith said, then we should be fine. Despite their reassurance, my paranoia remained.

I could see malformed shapes move across the opaque icy lining of the igloo sled. We must be in the town now. I couldn’t tell what was going on outside, but I could hear a slight commotion. Our sled made an abrupt stop and Flake poked her head into the igloo. “We’re here.” A hint of nerves whispered in her voice.

I nodded to her, picked up Ferilar and gently placed him on my back as I exited the igloo. I made it outside to see a crowd of Pokémon, whispering and starring with wonder in their eyes. I turned to see Flake looking uncomfortable with all the attention, one of our guests slung across her back.

The front doors to the guild outpost swung open and I was once again greeted by the blissfully warm air emanating from the central bonfire. This time I didn’t revel in the warm embrace, I had a mission. I stepped in and made a sharp right, headed straight for the medical room. Flake was behind me carrying the Mightyena. The Sawk from before carried Brow and a Torkoal carried the Ariados.

When I pushed past the doors of the medical room, I felt a touch of nostalgia as I glanced over at the beds I had slept in. The Audino was taking a snooze on a stool at the end of the room. I hesitated, not wanting to wake the resting soul.

The Sawk pushed past me and roused the Audino. “Wake up, we have guests for you.” The comment seemed callous.

The Audino instantly opened its eyes as if it was surprised to have fallen asleep in the first place. They sprang to their feet when they saw us carrying fainted Pokémon. They pointed to the beds while they moved to gather supplies from a nearby shelf, “Just place them there.”

The four of us did as she commanded and rested the unconscious Pokémon on the straw beds. Great, I thought, Now that’s done and over with, we can finally rest… I turned to the door to see a crowd of Pokémon blocking our exit. At first, I thought they might be blocking us in, but I could feel that they had no hostile intent. In fact, it felt more like admiration and their questions soon confirmed this.

“Are you really the great Ninetales?” a voice began the torrent of questions.

I couldn’t distinguish many of the individual questions with all the noise. It felt quite awkward standing in the middle of the room, unable to formulate a reply to any of their queries. Looking over, I could see Flake shying away from the onslaught, visibly uncomfortable with the situation. I stepped to her side and could feel her presence supporting me through the storm. I could only imagine I did the same for her, as she seemed to retreat less.

The booming voice of the Vileplume, Plumage, rose above the crowd. “Let’s celebrate the arrival of our town’s guardian!” The cheer was echoed by the crowd and it started to disperse.

I let out a sigh of relief as the last few Pokémon moved out of sight.

“I’ve…never seen so many Pokémon before,” Flake croaked out.

I was a little perplexed. This was such a small gathering of Pokémon, nothing like the streets of Guild city and… “Didn’t you say you’ve been to this town before?”

“Well yeah,” Flake got a little flustered, “But it was only like four or five Pokémon that lived in the outpost.”

Another memory fluttered into my mind, consuming my senses. I stared at myself reflected in a bowl of water. The white coat and blue baby doll eyes of a vulpix were the reflection of a Pokémon I didn’t know. I could see my drooping face, but I was devoid of emotion, as if the memory was incomplete.

“Why so down?” A familiar voice sat down next to me at the table.

I said, without turning my gaze, “Master is going up north again.”

“Yeah, uhm…” the voice seemed a little confused, “doesn’t she normally do that?”

“But she didn’t take me,” My look of longing quickly gave way to anger, “Why did she even train me if she wasn’t going to take me with her.” My anger seethed between my teeth as I kicked the bowl of watery food off the table. Now I only stared at the empty wooden table as water dropped onto the surface, “Why didn’t she take me.”

“Let’s go to the Snow Flats then.”

My emotions ceased as I tried to comprehend what my partner just said. I looked up at the Snover and saw only resolve in his eyes. “Are you crazy? It’s dangerous on the flats.”

“You said you trained for it, why not go?”

I once again returned my gaze to the water in front of me. “It’s just not the same, Nover.”

*****​

Night had fallen long ago. We prepared to sleep in the guest bedrooms of the guild outpost. I fluffed the hay just the way I liked it before folding my legs and laying down.

Flake seemed to stare at her bed. Before I could ask what was troubling her, she spoke, “This used to be my bed.” Her words came with no emotion and her face was hard to read. Then she smiled up at me as she stepped into the mass of hay. “I used to live here you know. Long before the guild collapsed. It was a lot less crowded than it is now.”

“Yeah, you told me about that,” I said as I reminisced on the day’s events.

“Did I ever tell you that I used to have a partner?”

“Nover?” I guessed.

She turned her head in surprise, “How did you know his name?”

“I um…” I thought for a startled moment, How did I know his name? “…Uh, I don’t know. I just kinda know it.”

Flake looked at me funny, as if I had spoken nonsense. I’m sure to her it sounded like nonsense, but that’s really what it felt like. “Spindra, who refused to accept your name.”

Her words immediately spurred a memory long since forgotten. “How…How…”

“How did I know?” She finished for me, “Mith and Muith. I have heard their unique version of telepathy allows them to share everything about the other, including memories. I think a part of our memories got jumbled together.”

“Who were those two anyway? You seemed to know them.” I asked.

“Mith and Muith are my master Glacier’s children and the leaders of my guild.”

“Guild? You’re in a Guild?” Since when has she been in a guild? It’s not like there are any guild buildings in the arctic wasteland.

“I am apart of Mith and Muith’s, now defunct, guild. I didn’t really know much about the guild since I lived up here in this outpost, but I did hear word of the guild’s collapse and that’s when…” she seemed to struggle suddenly. “That doesn’t matter now. Basically, their fugitives.”

I wanted to know more, to delve deeper, but a long yawn and the weight of my eye lids forced me to surrender to sleep. “That’s enough for tonight,” I said while laying my head in the bed. I felt the shadowy grip of slumber quickly wrap its way around my mind. Before it could steal me away completely, I mumbled to her, “We did great out there. Let’s do our best tomorrow.”

*****​

The warm light of the sun beamed through the only window. As if aimed at me, the sunbeam landed perfectly on my eye lids. I groaned as the sun abruptly ended my slumber. When my eyes fluttered open, nothing about the room had changed. Flake still lay in the bed next to me, her sides rising and falling rhythmically. Everything else was empty. This is the day we leave, I thought, guess I better get prepped.

I left the room and headed into the kitchen. A few Pokémon sat at the table. One seemed familiar and I recognized the Poliwrath I met my first day in town. His warning from so long ago still echoed in my mind. That time with my old party feels like a dream.

I grabbed some food from Bresob as he worked behind the counter of the kitchen and sat at a table. While I quickly consumed the small assortment of berries, I felt a pair of eyes upon me. Admiration emanated behind me and I turned to look. At another table, a large black and white Pangoro sat staring at me. When our eyes met, he got out of his seat and walked up to me. That’s when I noticed his left hand was missing and the stub was covered in bandages.

He sat opposite me at the table. I could see he was mustering his courage to say something. “I just wanted to say thank you for saving my life.”

I remembered I tried to keep him warm when I saved him from the Snow Flats, but I never thought I’d see him again. I was a little taken aback at meeting him here. “S…Sure, I’m glad I could help. I assume you decided to stay in town then?”

“I lost my hand, my career is over even if I wanted to return. At least here, I can do some good.”

In my last memories of him, he still had both hands. “May I ask what happened to your hand?”

“Frostbite, they said. Out in the cold too long.” I suddenly regretted asking. “May I ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

He noticeably fidgeted and averted his gaze, I felt like this was something he really didn’t want to ask. “Did…did you find Lilith up there?”

“Who,” I asked.

“Sorry, the Lilligant.”

I never saw the Lilligant Lilith, but I could imagine them frozen in the snow. I turned my head away as I remembered what Flake said to the Accelgor. “Lilith…didn’t make it.”

“I…I see,” I could hear the slump in his voice. “Thank you for telling me. It seems my dear friend Alor…the Accelgor, didn’t take it too well. I just wanted to make sure, without any doubt.”

My curiosity got the better of me as I asked, “What happened to him?”

“He denied her death and left. I don’t know where he is, but I honestly can’t blame him. He loved Lilith. It’s sad to see, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.” His head drooped and I realized I might have gone too far. He perked up saying, “Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve given me a second chance and that’s far more than I could have ever asked for. If there’s anything I can do for you, do not hesitate to ask.” He got up and left my table.

I watched him leave, my heart aching for him in his grief. Despite the sorrow, a warm glow spread through me. I had saved someone’s life. I ducked my head as the enormity of that thought overwhelmed me. All those agonizing days I spent lost in the freezing snow didn’t mean anything because I had saved someone’s life.

I quietly finished up my breakfast and looked around. Flake still wasn’t here. When we were on the Snow Flats, she would always rise before me. Maybe she’s just taking my advice and sleeping in.

I stepped out of the mess hall and into the main foyer where the bonfire crackled. I decided to spend my time watching the mesmerizing flames. As I came close, the fire spat at me and I instinctively took a step backwards. I found myself in the doorway of the bedroom Flake and I had slept in. The room was bathed in darkness. The light streamed past me, my silhouette dancing in the room. Flakes limp form still rested on the straw, but her breaths seemed strained. Something didn’t feel right.

I slowly and quietly made my way to her side. I didn’t want to disturb her if my fears were unfounded. Only as I drew closer did I notice frost, growing like vines out from the bed. The chill of the air had me shivering. I tapped her, “Hey, we need to get ready," I whispered. As my paw made contact, I instinctively recoiled at the sudden chill that drilled into my paw and shot up my arm. She was colder than anything I had ever felt. My physical intrusion seemed to do nothing to wake her, and I could see her face grimace in pain.

I quickly rushed out of the room to find Audino. I found them in the medical room. However, Audino was once again sleeping on the stool.

I hesitated for a second, not wanting to disturb the Pokémon’s slumber. The image of Flake’s expression had me rushing to their side and shaking them awake. Audino slowly lifted their eyelids as they sleepily said, “hu…hum, What?”

“I think something’s wrong with Flake, can you check her out.” Panic seeping into my words.

“Alright,” Audino casually yawned, “Let’s go see what the problem is.”

We moved back into Flake’s room with Audino closing the door behind us. The ambient light from the window wasn’t enough to light the room, so Audino put a candle to my face. I blew a tiny flame, but what came out nearly burned Audino’s face. “Sorry,” I tried to apologize, my anxiety ruining my control. Audino just shrugged it off and went to Flake’s side. Their gaze sharpened as they examined Flake. Audino pulled out a stick to touch Flake’s forehead. It noticeably froze over. Audino then swung the stick against the wall and the tip shattered.

“Yep, she has a fever.”

“I thought fevers were supposed to be hot,” I said, confused.

“Some ice types have a different biology. Judging by the level of the fever, she probably has Cold Touch.”

I’ve heard of many diseases, but I hadn’t heard of this one.

Seeing the confusion on my face, Audino explained, “The locals around here call it Cold Touch. It’s a disease that’s resistant to cold temperatures. It’s been going around the village. For warm creatures like you or I, its harmless and most don’t even have symptoms. For some ice types, however, it’s deadly.”

My heart ran as cold as Flake’s at those word, “Is…is there anything you can do for her?” This time I didn’t try to hide the desperation in my voice.

“I can bring up her fever, but that’s all I can do.”

I couldn’t believe what was happening. Flake may die because of this and it’s all my fault for forcing her into town. I can’t believe how stupid I was. I could feel tears welling up and started to step out of the room.

Audino noticed and said, “Be sure to close the door behind you. We don’t want anyone else knowing about this.”

I agreed and closed the door. It’s for the best to conceal this in case someone decides to capture her while she’s weak. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Just yesterday she was herself, walking and talking and full of life. Now she may die? I began to choke up, She was the first Pokémon I could actually say was my partner.

My subtle sobs were interrupted when cloth brushed across my face. Through my watery gaze, I could hardly make out the black silhouette in front of me.

“It’s magenta,” I…what? I pieced together the form of Mismagius. Oh gosh, its Mith and Muith’s mind meld all over again. “What seems to be troubling you?” the sickly old Mismagius asked.

I bit my tongue. I wanted to tell her, but I needed to keep Flake’s condition a secret. I can’t let the information get out. Mismagius responded to my silence, “You don’t have to tell me. The spirits will know.” I looked quizzically up at her, “I can channel the spirits and they can guide you to the answers you seek. For a small fee of 500 g of course.”

This could be a hoax, the amount of fake spirit channelers out there are numerous. That being said, I wasn’t going to discredit the existence of spirits. I’ve seen them many times before. Not to mention, Mismagius seemed to be more attuned to them than I was. “Alright, make it quick.” I brought up one of my nine tails and grabbed the small money bag I had tucked in the fur. I pawed over the g.

Once she was content with my pay, she motioned me to the bonfire in the center of the foyer. “Why are we doing this here?” I asked as I sat next to the flames.

“You said you wanted this done quick, did you not? Going back to my place would have taken unnecessary time.”

“Yeah, I know that, but don’t you need like a crystal ball as a channeling medium?”

Mismagius slowly nodded and the magenta cloth waved towards the fire. A small section of flame branched off and floated in between us. “Flames are some of the best mediums.” She fell silent as her eyes closed. Nothing happened for a few moments as I gazed into the blaze. I was entranced by its beauty. The edges flipped and danced with an orange glow while the center grew whiter and whiter until all color had been washed from the fire. The pale light grew brighter, drawing me in like a Venomoth. I peered into it, beyond it, but all I saw was a sea of white…and a lonely mountain. The fire popped, making me jump, and disappeared into the ether.

Mismagius finally opened their eyes. “What you saw was for you alone, but I can tell you that the answers you seek will be there.” Mismagius floated away out of sight.

A mountain…where have I seen that mountain? Let me think, there was the mountain range at the edge of the flats, but that’s not the singular mountain I saw. The only other mountain in the snow is…the outpost. With that thought, I knew my destination. I grabbed all my supplies and covered my body in the cloth. It was difficult without another pair of paws to help me, but I worked through it, knowing I had to be quick. I stepped out into the foyer in my full attire. The familiar awkward steps of my large shoes reminded me of how much I had gotten used to this.

A Pangoro stepped into the foyer just when I was about to step out. I looked at him and remembered what he said to me. “Hey,” I realized I hadn’t caught his name, “What’s your name?” I asked.

“My name’s Gorsi,” he replied.

“Gorsi, watch over Flake while I’m gone. I fear she will get hurt while I’m away.” I hurried out of the building not waiting for a reply. As I rushed through the snowy roads of the town, my eye caught on Mismagius’ old spirit channeling shop, or lack thereof.

 

Spoiler: Chapter 9 Snowy Path to Becoming a Rescuer

I knew where I was headed, but still felt lost. The open sea of snow felt so much more barren alone. At times I felt like I was going in circles, traveling the same field over and over. Only the distant mountains anchored me to reality. The frostbitten winds ceaselessly assaulted me, and I wished for the comforts of the warm outpost. My exhausted legs had long since become tired of moving the uncomfortably large shoes. The sky was a pearly blue, devoid of clouds. I relished the sun that beat on my fur. Even though it offered no warmth, it meant I wouldn’t be dealing with the worst of the Flats. There was nothing out here, nothing but the snow, and an objective in front of me. I never really knew how lonely rescuing like this could be and Flake did this for years. I couldn’t stand doing this for even another second let alone a year. Without the companionship of Flake, I felt as empty as the desert around me.

The wind picked up. My bones shivered at the sudden change. I looked up to see a wall of white barreling towards me. I suppose it was only a matter of time. Using all my previously acquired knowledge, I prepared my flamethrower and continued forward.

*****​

I stepped through the mountainous cave until I found the light on the other side. A cave opening that spat me back out, once again, onto a pristine endless snow field. I had a flying type’s eye view as the opening was rather high up and a reasonable incline lead down to the desert’s surface. Far off in the distance I could finally see my destination, a tall peak that rested alone in the endless purgatory. For one exhausted moment, I thought that all my troubles had come to an end. That I could finally rest easy knowing that I made it past the worst of it. A quick flicker in the corner of my eye had me glancing to the side, revealing the wall of white that I despised. My heart sank and I fell to my haunches, the fatigue unbearable. Of course, there’s more, because I wasn’t tired enough. It might be okay to rest here for a while. I thought back to the first time I had come here with Flake and I wondered what gave me the power to keep going back then. My mind fixated on Flake and I reminded myself why I couldn’t rest. Flake is going to die and I’m not going to be just a little too late to save her. I got to my sore paws and carefully began navigating down the rocky incline.

*****​

The lonely peak loomed over me like a Pokémon ready to pounce on its exhausted prey. I marched on with my head low. Even with the cloth that had protected me through the dozens of storms, I still shivered profusely. If I looked at myself, I bet I’d find gashes and tears across the cloth from where the biting winds tore through the protection of the cloth. I wished I had thicker cloth. I had long since lost feeling in my legs, but I was sure, if I had feeling, they’d be screaming at me. I was mentally drained from the unending toil.

I just had to put one paw in front of the other.

Just one paw in front of the other.

Just one paw in front of the other.

Just one paw in front of the other.

My dull brain finally registered the hard shift from powdery snow to solid rock. I looked up and scanned. Panic starting to well up within me as all I saw was the white snow and barren rock. Where was the entrance? I don’t remember, everything looks the same. I dug a little at the snow. Will I be left out here?! I wandered around the mountain at the edge of the snow and rock. I remember it being here, where was it? I…I can’t stay out here, I need…

A thunderous crack filled the air. I turned behind me and couldn’t believe my eyes. A block of ice twice as big as me was being raised from the ground. Once the object was out of the way, I saw a Lucario pop its head out and look directly at me. Oh, Arceus I’m saved! With the remaining energy I had left, I lurched toward the entrance.

The Lucario rushed up to me long before my weary body could make it all the way. “What are you doing out here?!” His shocked and worried tone fell upon frozen ears. He helped support my weight and the weight of the supplies I brought as we stepped into the opening. On the other side, I saw a Gardevoir who was holding onto the block of ice. When we made our way into the tunnel, she sealed it behind both of us.

Together, they brought me further inside and dropped me at the fiery beacon that sat in the first room. I bet even under these rags they could see how much I was shivering. Even though I could barely feel anything at the moment, the flame’s warmth was intoxicating. It beckoned me near, and my strength returned to my limbs the longer I sat near it. When I gazed upon the golden flames, I couldn’t help but wonder how this was no ordinary fire or even a spirit fire. Along with heat, it radiated power, life.

After I had warmed up a little, both Lucario and Gardevoir sat next to me. “Why did you come all the way up here alone, Valixalyle?”

My panic was once again reinvigorated as I remembered Flake and her condition. “Please, you have to help Flake,” I weakly said, “She’s sick and going to die. I need your help.”

Both the Lucario and the Gardevoir looked at each other. The Gardevoir sighed, “I will contact Mith and Muith, but that’s all we can do.”

My heart sank, and a fire I didn’t even know I had at the moment, grew. “What do you mean you can’t do anything!” My anger was beginning to overtake my fatigue.

Lucario placed a paw against my chest, “We don’t have a magical cure. Even if we did, we aren’t able to travel in the Snow Flats. We’re just in no position to help at all.”

They were right. What did I even think I was going to find up here? I followed some stupid lead from a spirit channeler. I should have known it was a hoax. I slumped, What do I do now?

“Don’t worry,” the Gardevoir said to me, “I’m sure Flake will get better. You need to rest, you’re still quite cold for a fire type.”

*****​

I didn’t know how long I had sat by the fire. There was no way I could tell time in this cave and I kept getting mesmerized by this strange bonfire. When my gaze wasn’t stuck on the blaze, I starred at all the tools that littered the walls. I couldn’t understand the purpose of half of them.

“They’re for traversing the snowy terrain.” A voice resonated through the tiny room. Gardevoir stood by the entrance.

“Why is it that every Pokémon I meet now a days reads my thoughts.” I wanted to be angry, but I was too tired.

Gardevoir just chuckled, “If I hadn’t been able to read your thoughts, you would have been left out on the surface to freeze and besides, you don’t need to be psychic to watch someone’s gaze. We haven’t officially met yet, I’m Meved.”

“Valixalyle,” I couldn’t bring myself to look at them. I felt like a complete failure.

“I recently chatted with Mith and Muith,”

“They’re here?” I asked quizzically, wondering why I haven’t seen them yet.

“Through telepathy,” Meved explained, “they are far south from here. However, they gave some good news,” My ears perked up. “They told me about a stash of medicine in this outpost that may be useful.” Meved held up a small bag.

I quickly rose to my feet in delight. “Really?!” I couldn’t help but ask, wondering if it was a dream or not. Was this trip really not a fool’s errand? Am I going to be able to save her?!

“Now hold on there,” Meved abruptly halted my thoughts, “We aren’t sure this will work. Its likely that it won’t do anything given the condition you told us Flake is in. But if you can get there in time, it’s worth a shot.”

Meved slowly floated the bag over to me with her telekinesis and I gently grabbed it with my paw. I was suddenly filled with a burst of energy and wanted to head out immediately.

“Rest first,” Meved’s telekinesis wrapped around me, stopping me from immediately flying out of the outpost. “It won’t do Flake any good for you to run out of energy in the snow or getting trapped out there by not thinking things through. Rest up and get ready for the journey.”

Her words rang truer than I would have liked. I calmed my own restless spirit, “Thank you, I will head out as soon as I am ready.”

*****​

The day wore on, but I barely rested. I had long since left the safety of the safe house and trudged once again on the plains of snow, long past the mountains, towards the only inhabited destination. I had to get back to Flake. It was all my fault for putting her in such a state. The pearly white snow and endless winds were unforgiving, but it’s something I came to expect. Even the storm that was rushing towards me, aptly named White Death, looked like nothing but another obstacle I had to overcome. I had once feared this storm, but after going through it so many times, I’d become seemingly immune to its visible presence.

I turned to face the monstrous storm as it lashed at me with its winds. I shrugged off the bites of cold and stepped inside with practiced ease. My Flamethrower glowing like a beacon, kept the winds from becoming unbearable. The slurry of the storm recoiled from the flames touch, opting to travel around the flames rather than through it. I’m sure it might have seemed beautiful to any outside onlookers, but to me it was a means to an end. I cared more about getting back to Flake’s side rather than conquering this storm.

A gust of wind breached my fire barrier and blew past my nose. I didn’t know I could even smell anything. I thought my nose had gone numb a long time ago, yet the unfamiliar scent made its presence known. Although I wasn’t entirely attuned to the scent of exploration teams, I could still tell when something was off. I looked in the direction it had come from, but I should have expected to see nothing but white. My first instinct was to help them, but a thought crossed my mind. Why would I want to risk my life saving them when I have to get back to Flake. I need to deliver this medicine for her.

I ignored the scent and stepped further into the storm, but with each step I took, my paws became heavier. Flake would never want me to abandon anyone. I remembered when she dove right into the abyss of the White Death just to save another Pokémon who ran off. Disregarding her life to save another. I remembered myself, who was once left alone in a mystery dungeon with no one to save me.

I twirled on my paws, something I never thought possible with these shoes, and rushed in the direction of the scent. I disregarded all that Flake had taught me, to move slowly, to pace myself, always use my flame. All of it was lost in the blizzard as I rushed through the hellish storm. I regretted not keeping up my flamethrower as the winds battered me so hard, I thought it would lift me from the ground. Still, I carried on.

The storm had become blinding. I couldn’t even see the ground in front of me.

I tripped and fell face first into the snow, which was a slight relief as the winds only hit half my body. I quickly got to my paws and examined what I tripped over. In the storm, however, all I saw was a few dark spots in a sheet of white. I would yell to them, but I knew that the howling of the wind would wash away any sound. I had to assume they were what I was after. From the saddle bags and backpack I carried, I unloaded the sled. I couldn’t see or feel anything, so I had to go off pure muscle memory.

When I thought I had everything attached and moved the black masses on top of the sled, I turned to see which way I had to go. Again, I was met with nothing, but white. Now I couldn’t even tell which way the storm was blowing as the heavy winds had made me lose my sense of feeling a while ago. I pulled at my strength and released my flamethrower.

When I saw what came out, I realized the gravity of my situation. Only a minuscule stream of flame came from my mouth. Barely enough to heat me and certainly not strong enough to hold back the storm. I felt panic well up within me as my mind raced. Is this it? This can’t be it. I have to get to Flake! I have to save these Pokémon! My mind wobbled as I let out another flamethrower against the storm. My heart sank further and further as I watched the sorry excuse for a flame geyser, slowly, agonizingly slowly, get smaller and smaller and smaller until the wind snuffed it out like it did all things. Forget the ones I was saving, it felt like I was dying! The cold had long since become a distant memory as the storm’s deadly winds only seemed to be a distant memory.

I have to get out. Have to get out now! With every fiber of my being, I stepped further into the storm. My thoughts of Flake, the thoughts of those on the sled behind me, thoughts of how I was going to die, all of them were lost on the wind. I marched forward gazing into the eternal white with only the occasional snow flake in my vision.

Then, as if a hallucination hit me, a ninetales entered my vision beside me. Not Flake, I could tell it had a golden coat. Then again on the other side of me. And again. And again. Now I was hallucinating a whole pack of ninetales walking beside me. If that wasn’t bad enough, different Pokémon started appearing. Too many to count.

I shouted into the maelstrom, wanting to believe the hallucination. Hoping by some miracle the determination in my words would be a shield against the deafening winds. I felt like these could be my last words, “Help me! Help me save them! Help me save Flake! I just don’t want them to feel like I once did!”

Nothing, not a change in the dream-like world around me before it all faded back to cold blinding reality. However, something felt different. It felt…cold, I could feel the winds against my skin again. I felt reinvigorated as power filled every part of my body, and it all sung with one desire. I channeled that energy, pulled it all to the tip of my mouth and released a flamethrower to beat back the winds.

The blinding snow was replaced with a flame that was completely alien to me. The flame was a deep azure with its sides punctuated by a familiar orange tint. It rocketed from my lips like a balefire, illuminating the storm. It didn’t just beat back the winds, it created a pocket of calm. The whole area started to grow warm as the fire curled around us like a dome.

With all the strength I had in me, I stepped forward, carrying both the sled and the weight of the massive fireball I carefully held in my lips. My power felt limitless. I thought I could end the whole storm with a single flamethrower. In an arrogant burst of energy, I tried just that. I took the deepest breath of my life and gathered every ounce of that limitless power I could muster. With one exhale, a beam of pure fire punched a hole straight through the storm. When my breath ran out, so did the flame. Even though the winds of the storm still battered around me, the hole I had made didn’t get consumed immediately. I saw the light of the sun at the end of the tunnel. However, the storm closed in around it before I could reach it. I drew at my power to produce another flame to knock away the cold and found it considerably harder than before.

With every ounce of strength in me, I held back the deadly gale of the storm until I had reached its end. My flamethrower easily piercing the now thin veil that I had left to conquer, sunlight beaming down through the hellish onslaught. I knew I had made it and I’d never been so happy to see the endless white sea. I searched around and found the tree line leading out of this horrid world not too far from me. I began to make my way towards it.

Then I crashed. The limitless power that I had felt before gave way to immense fatigue. To move my body was like moving mountains. My eyelids constantly closing on me, trying desperately to pull me into sleep. My sight became blurred and my understanding of reality became nothing but a floaty dream.

 

Spoiler: Epilogue

A comforting darkness enveloped me, and I felt like I was floating in the murky depths of the sea. Movement appeared only as dark wisps drifting around me. I had no time to understand the images before I was once again lost.

SNAP!

The crackle of a fire slowly lured my consciousness from oblivion. I didn’t want to wake. My body felt weighted down, each limb immovable. The room felt off, but my weary mind couldn’t place what was wrong. Moonlight illuminated the dark room. I fought to keep my eyes open. Flake lay in a bed next to me, the same way I had left her. The sight of her unconscious form gave me no sense of relief. I could only think about how I failed her. One of my eye’s succumbed to the promise of sleep and closed.

With the remaining vision I had left, I noticed a white form contrasting against the blackness. Curious, I shook off the drowsiness and focused on a very familiar duo in white. Mith and Muith. The two quickly removed their clothing, revealing them to be Meowstic. One was a blue so dark that I mistook it for black, each of his limbs tipped in white and highlighting his form in the darkness. The other was predominantly white with its hands, feet, and neck a deep blue, almost making her look like a floating head and torso against the dark stone walls. They walked up to Flake carrying something firmly wrapped in bandages. They placed the object on her before slowly unwrapping it telekinetically.

The voice that came from across the room startled all of us. “To think you’d come despite the danger!”

“To think you’d be so good at sneaking you could hide yourself at all.” The sarcastic voice of the twins resonated through the room as I located the intended recipient. A huge Tyranitar sat watching us from a dark corner. I was amazed that he was barely visible, despite the spikes on his head scraping the ceiling.

“I picked up a thing or two from my companions.” He said without moving. His whole demeanor was hostile, and it looked like he was staring down at all of us…well he was physically, but metaphorically.

At first, Mith and Muith were watching him guardedly, but after a while, they turned their attention back to Flake. They unwrapped the item they were carrying to reveal a pink dragon-like scale. They gently rested the scale on Flake and a pink aura flowed through her. Flake visibly relaxed and her breathing evened out.

“Do you always keep your healing devices locked away in your vault?” Tyran’s judgmental tone echoed through the small room.

“No more than any other guild,” they immediately responded in unison. “The scale of Tapu Lele can heal anyone with just a touch,” Mith, the dark blue Meowstic said before Muith finished, “but if any heathy Pokémon touches the scales, the power will harm, maybe even kill them.”

“And so, you decided to keep it a secret?” Tyran asked accusingly.

“Tapu Lele isn’t a nice Pokémon.” Mith said before Muith picked up, “We’d dare say that she scatters these scales just to watch others suffer.” “More lives will be saved by keeping it a secret than giving it out.”

“That’s not for you to decide,” Tyran argued.

“All guilds have their secrets.” “That’s why it’s called a guild secret.”

“Things have changed while you two were away,” Tyran spoke almost begging them, “you could come back, restart your guild, if you just tell us more of what you are doing.”

Mith and Muith were silent for a long time. Then they finally said together, “If you Pokémon had changed, then you would have stopped sending innocent teams up here to die just to get our secrets.”

Tyran sighed, “You know I’m not the one doing it and you know I can’t stop those who do.”

“Then our information is still too dangerous to be spread amongst the guilds.”

A long silence persisted in the room. Muith, the white Meowstic, watched Flake, while Mith, the deep blue Meowstic, watched Tyran. Even in my delirious state, I could feel that the tension in the room was so sharp you could cut it with a Scyther.

Tyran was the first to break the silence, “How’s your mother, Glacier, doing?”

“She’s more lively than ever.” Mith said, before Muith took over, “She always loved exploring the northern lands, even if she didn’t find much.” They finished together, “now she has the time and freedom to travel the north to her hearts content.”

“I’m at least glad to hear she’s doing alright. Tell my old friend I said hello.” Tyran then got up from his seat and walked towards the door, “Also try not to eavesdrop so much Valixalyle.”

*****​

Light filtered into the room, pulling me from slumber. My dreams quickly fading into obscurity as I slowly opened my eyes. I had to cover them with a paw as the sun blinded me. I rose from the straw bed to avoid the light. The room around me was empty. I figured Flake had woken up before me, like she usually does. I stepped out of bed, stretching the weariness out of my legs and tails. They felt ready to take on the day. I pushed past the pair of doors that blocked me into the room.

The foyer was just as I remembered, with the bonfire in the center and everything. I stepped into the dining room and exclaimed, “Where are all the Pokémon?” If I recalled, there should be a lot of Pokémon coming to eat. I sat at one of the tables to try to recall any clues. Let me think…when I got here I…what was I doing before then? I was traveling the flat for something…Flake. The instant realization hit me harder than a Hitmonlee. I rushed out of the dining room in a blur. I tried to calm myself and think, she wasn’t sleeping, so where could she be? Don’t tell me she’s been taken away by the bounty hunters?

I saw the exit to the outpost. In a desperate attempt to find her, I burst out the doors. My mind instantly halted as I saw the white form standing next to several others. Flake turned to face me, her elegance radiated against the snowy backdrop, making her truly look like a spirit of the snow. “Flake,” Seeing her up and moving washed away any sense of urgency.

“Glad to see you up and awake,” she responded, “though you pushed yourself too hard.”

“I, uh what?” I was confused at what she was insinuating.

“You called me out for pushing myself too hard, but you slogged through the raging storms until you passed out.”

“I had to; I…” my voice trailed off as I remembered calling her a fool for pushing herself too hard.

Flake gave me a sly grin.

I sheepishly tried to laugh, “Well, you got me there.”

“You’ll have plenty of opportunities to push yourself. It’s just a part of the job we all face.” The white duo that I had completely forgotten about said in unison. They looked at me, “Just try not to make it a habit.”

I nodded at Mith and Muith in their white cloth.

“So, you’re the one who saved us?” There were more Pokémon behind the three of them that made themselves known. They consisted of a Nidoking, Weezing and Crobat. The Nidoking stepped forth. “I just wanted to say thank you for saving us.”

“We appreciate what you’ve done. If it wasn’t for you, we surely would have died out there.” The Crobat said

“Yeah,” the Weezing agreed, “Rescue guilds like yourself don’t get enough recognition.”

I was caught off guard by their sudden praise. All I could respond with was a meek smile, “I…I just didn’t want anyone to get lost.”

“Well, whatever the reason, we are indebted to you. Thank you for all that you have done for us.” The three walked off towards the shops.

“And thank you,” I had expected the words to come from those three teams or some other Pokémon, but I wasn’t expecting them to come from Flake. “I couldn’t do anything to save them, but you saved them while trying to get back to town. I am forever grateful that you didn’t leave them behind.”

I blushed at the compliment and was left speechless. But another thought did cross my mind, “I don’t actually remember returning. Did you find me Mith and Muith?”

“You came into town by yourself and collapsed immediately,” They responded.

“Wait, I did?!” The surprise nearly threw me to my haunches. I recalled that I was so exhausted I could barely think, but I couldn’t imagine making it all the way to town.

“Regardless of what you think you did,” Mith and Muith said in unison, “you alerted us to Flake’s blight and you made it back to town while rescuing a team. We thank you.” They bowed their heads.

Once again, I was speechless. I had received one too many thanks for something that should have been self-explanatory.

Flake then looked at me, a new sense of vigor in her eyes, “You ready to head back out to the flats?”

I looked at her and answered with a fatigued grin, “I just need to get prepared, and I will gladly come, partner.”

--The End