Chapter Text
Snow falls harder, faster, turning everything it touches white, covering up footprints seconds after they're made. Winds whip around them, sending flurries of snow into their faces, sticking to their clothes and hair, and quickly freezing them from head to toe with each passing minute. Even with a hand raised to block snow from falling into her eyes, Blue can barely see ten steps in front of her, having to use the buildings along the street as a guide to ensure they're still going the right way.
The report that the storm wouldn't start until the evening was obviously a lie. It's not even noon, and they're already trekking through snow that swallows their feet and leaks in through the top of their falling apart shoes.
A walk that should have taken them ten minutes takes far longer than that. Their fingers and toes freeze into what feels like icicles, clouds of condensation follow them in an almost unbroken trail, and every time she glances back at Silver, the red hue on his cheeks only gets brighter. Her grip on his hand tightens, pulling him along as he stumbles and struggles to keep up with her pace.
"We're almost there," she assures, although with the way the winds howl, she's unsure if he can hear her. "Only a few more minutes, then we'll get inside."
"Where are we going?" he asks, and she can hear the whine in his voice, a tone she can't blame him for. Under normal circumstances, they would have never willingly walked into the storm. He has to be freezing, but it'll be worth it once they have stable shelter.
"I've found somewhere we can get shelter from the storm. We'll have food, water, and somewhere warm to sleep." A glance back shows the curiosity in his gaze turning to concern, staring up at her with wide eyes that blink rapidly as snow blows into his face. "It'll be okay."
She doesn't know whether she believes herself.
Dim lights are the sole indicator of where the gym is among the pure white city that lays in front of them. Her eyes fix onto the windows, their only hope left now that the storm is pouring onto them far earlier than they were expected. If this doesn't work out, they won't have any way to get the food they need now that all the stores are closed and everyone is off the streets.
They stop just before they'd be visible from inside the gym. She glances back once, then twice to ensure they won't be seen until she wants them to be, then turns her back to the winds and snow to shield Silver from the worst of it.
"I can't guarantee what happens." She pulls Silver close, wrapping her hands around his in what she hopes he thinks it's an attempt to keep him warm. One guides a hand into the pocket she knows he always keeps Sneasel's ball in, wrapping his fingers around it. "Keep your hand on her. If I give the signal, I want you to release her, and run. Don't worry about me, just get yourself out, and find somewhere to hide. Okay?"
As he nods, she has to bite down on her tongue to push back the tears that threaten to freeze on her face as they leak out of her eyes. If he has to run out into the storm on his own, the only outcome would be death, hiding away in a building that provides no warmth, waiting for her to return without realizing that she won't. She doesn't know whether that's any better than what a corrupt gym leader would be willing to do to them, but she can't let him be hurt by someone else again.
If he notices how tightly she squeezes him as she pulls him into a hug, he doesn't comment on it. They stay like that for a moment longer than they should, letting the snow pelt her as she tries to prepare herself for whatever is about to come. When Silver shivers, she forces herself to pull away so she can get him inside and warm.
The doors are unlocked. This time, instead of letting them slam shut behind them, she slowly guides the doors closed once they both slip in, not yet alerting anyone inside to their presence. There's still a shadow moving behind the frosted glass that leads to the main room, one that she knows belongs to Surge.
"Stay behind me. Watch for the signal if I have to give it."
That's the last order she gives Silver before taking the few steps needed to wrap her hand around the second door handle. Snow continues to pile outside the gym, her eyes catching on what presses up against the outside doors when she glances back. She can only hope that the snow stops falling long enough for them to get out of the gym, and they don't end up trapped inside.
As soon as she opens the door, eyes are on her. The look Surge gives her is almost enough for her to push Silver into the lobby until she can ensure it's safe for him, but he peeks out from around her, too curious about what's going on to stay hidden, and she reluctantly allows him to follow her in. Her free hand stays firmly on his arm, keeping him behind her and out of view as much as she can.
"Thought you weren't gonna show," is Surge's greeting to her as she takes two steps into the room. No more. He doesn't seem too thrilled for them to be there, barely sparing her a glance before trying to get a look at Silver, and extra space between them is never a bad thing to have.
"I was being serious. I want to join." The words have only just left her mouth when she feels Silver jerk behind her, letting out an almost inaudible protest that goes ignored. He may not understand, but this is for the best. "What do I have to do?"
All hesitation and worry is pushed out of her voice as she speaks, forcing as much fake confidence as possible into the words. No matter what, she'll do what she has to. The storm has already gotten too bad for her to think about turning back now.
"Depends on what jobs you're good at." Surge strolls towards them as he talks, hands hidden behind his back, likely holding a pokeball, ready to attack them. "We got tons of tasks that a small runt like you could help with. Field work, pokemon testing, gadget testing, whatever we find that you'd be useful for."
It's only for a week, two at most. To keep Silver safe, it's worth it. Even if the wording of his response makes it sound like the 'testing' they do has the possibility to be fatal, and the way he keeps walking towards them has her instincts screaming that he's a threat.
She nods. Small hands wrap around her arm, and before she can push Silver back again, he peeks out from around her. Surge's gaze falls from her to Silver, and there's a flicker of something she doesn't like in them, the same look he gave her yesterday, one that doesn't disappear even after she shoves Silver out of sight again.
"Well then, if you two would like to follow me, we'll get going to the nearest base." As Surge moves towards the doors, Blue guides Silver out of the way, not missing how Surge's gaze stays fixed on him. More interested in him than her. Never a good sign.
Another nod, and with a last glance towards Silver, she pulls him along as she goes to follow. Concern shows clear on his face, but she has to ignore it. She whispers quiet reassurance that this is the last time they'll have to go into the storm, never once loosening her grip on his hand as they take the first step out.
Snow immediately pelts them again, somehow even harder than before. What previously only reached the tops of their shoes now swallows most of her lower legs, and goes up to Silver's knees, leaving him struggling to walk through the snow, even using the path she makes. Not long after they start the walk, Surge makes an offer to carry Silver the rest of the way. She shuts the idea down quickly, both of them stopping when he does, never getting within arm's reach.
It's not long before they come to a stop outside of a building. One that looks more like a standard house than anything she would expect an organized crime ring to be running out of. A theory that only grows stronger when Surge has to unlock the front door for them with what appears to be a standard house key.
The inside isn't anything special either. It looks lived in, a regular house that a normal person would get to go home to every night. Personal belongings thrown over furniture, trash on the counters, an empty coat and shoe rack by the door. All signs that point towards the house being nothing but normal.
Neither of them remove their shoes or coats when Surge says they can, glancing at each other with narrowed eyes that don't quite hide their worry. Snow may be sticking to them, but they're not going to leave their most important belongings behind when they could still need to run at a moment's notice. With each passing minute, it's looking more and more like she led them into a trap, and she wants a chance for at least one of them—for Silver—to escape if things go wrong.
"This isn't a base." It's not a question, but a statement. They're both too familiar with what a base should look like. This isn't it. "Where are we?"
An arm darts out to hide Silver behind her as the questions draw attention to them. With Surge now standing in front of the door, all she does is push him farther into the house in her attempt to shield him from the danger. There's a back door—escape route—behind them, and she doesn't doubt that Silver has seen it too.
"With the weather, we weren't making it any farther than this." Surge removes his shoes and coat, and she allows her guard to drop the smallest amount. "You two'll stay here with me until this storm has passed. After that, we'll figure out where you two are going."
Something in his tone raises more questions than the two that were answered, that same glint from earlier reappearing in his eyes when they flicker to Silver. An unreadable, worrying look that makes her guard raise higher, like she never let it drop to begin with.
She nods, willing her expression to remain fixed and neutral, even as distrust intertwines itself with every thought she has, trying to show itself on her face. Until they've been given a reason to run, they should take what they've been given. It's going to be all they get after all.
Within minutes, they're being sat down at the messy table in the corner of the kitchen, a plate of food in front of each of them. Another reason for them to stay, but one that doesn't do anything to help with the swirling unease and anxiety in her stomach that makes it hard to choke down a single bite of the warm food in front of her. She doesn't even try to eat until Silver has eaten a decent amount, then slowly eats her portion, gaze never drifting away from Surge until he leaves the room.
A flash of light pulls her attention back to him in an instant. Wooden chair legs scrape against the floor as she bolts to her feet, head snapping over to where Surge stands in the doorway, turning away from them suspiciously fast as soon as her eyes are on him. There's not a second look at them, even with all the noise she makes, as he taps and messes with one of the new pokegear devices she's seen in store windows.
They're left alone again before she can sit back down, but she doesn't miss the tune that follows Surge out of the room. It's followed by his muffled voice, but he's already too far away for her to understand anything said.
Eyes meet across the small table, concern visible on both of their faces. Food forgotten, they creep out of their seats, towards the receding shadow on the wall. They already got more to eat than they would have otherwise.
All conversation stops by the time they get close enough to hear anything. Blue catches the movement of Surge snapping the device shut and tucking it away, but doesn't get any useful information, aside from which pocket it went into. That wouldn't be helpful unless they wanted to take the risk of trying to steal it to sell before leaving.
"I got a room upstairs for you two to use." Surge barely gives them a glance as he turns towards the stairs, a gesture to follow given almost as a second thought. "I'm sure you could both use some rest after that walk through the snow."
The room they're shown to looks the same as the rest of the house. Plain walls, one bed they'll both be able to sleep in, a light mess, but nothing that stands out. No obvious weapons, but a quick escape through the window if they need to get out fast.
Shoes and jackets are finally taken off once the door closes behind Surge, giving them a room that allows them time to breathe and properly assess everything, one with a lock they get to control and an escape route. It'll only take them a minute to put everything back on if needed. With the most security they're going to get, they allow themselves to shed their cold clothing and bundle up in the blankets provided.
Through the window, they're able to watch the snow fall, see how it piles up on the outside windowsill, slowly growing taller with each passing minute. Winds howl against the walls, but for the first time, neither of them have to worry about the breeze leaking in. The room is warm enough for them to feel the lingering heat in the air, there's blankets wrapped around them, they have food in their stomachs, and they have each other.
It's not the ideal place to be spending the next week, but as long as they're still safe, it's better than being outside.
She startles awake to the distinct sound of a door slamming open. Blood rushes through her veins as she bolts upright, eyes darting towards the door. It's still closed. Still locked. They're still the only ones in the room. There's no ice creeping up the walls, or concrete walls surrounding them, or tall people in scary masks coming to drag them apart for punishment.
Nothing more comes after the initial bang. A quiet hum echoes through the room, and the winds and snow continue to blow against the window, but there's no voices, no footsteps, no indication that anyone is coming towards their room. They're still safe.
There's no stir from Silver as she slides out of his hold and onto her feet. She should let him sleep a bit longer, but the feeling in her gut tells her that they both need to be awake. They wouldn't have gotten this far if she hadn't listened to her gut, so she shakes him until he peels his eyes open through quiet protest, groaning and trying to curl up tighter in the blankets.
As soon as she confirms that he's awake and won't fall back asleep, she creeps out of the room. Unlock the handle, slowly pull the door open, listen for any creaks that would give her away, hold her breath as she takes step after step down the hall and back towards the stairs. Put her training to good use, and figure out what's going on before anyone can notice she's listening.
Voices grow louder the closer she gets to the stairs. At first only Surge's voice, and she assumes that he's making another call. A second voice joins his, another adult, and she freezes as her foot lands on the top step.
"You flew through the storm?" Surge says, voice finally loud and clear enough for her to understand. "Are you insane? Every port has been shut down, and a grounding warning for all flying types was put out last night, and you still flew here from Viridian?"
Peeking through the stair railing doesn't give her the view needed to see either of the adults. It does allow her to see a new set of snow covered shoes sitting by the door, and two too tall shadows the stretch along the wall. Both coming towards her.
"Where is he?" The second voice says, anger and annoyance audible in each word spoken. A man who wasn't here earlier steps into her view, covered in dark fabrics that look far too expensive to be outside in. "You said he was here, you sent that photo. Where?"
Her heart almost stops mid beat as the man's words register, alongside the realization of who he's looking for. They're after them. After Silver. It was a trap the entire time, and she led them, led him, directly into it.
If they're only after Silver, it's unlikely they're with The Mask, unless he decided that she wasn't worth the hassle, but that doesn't mean they don't have good intentions. She can only imagine the things they have planned for Silver as soon as they get them separated.
Their voices turn to static in her ears as she stumbles to her feet, grip on the stair railing hard enough for her fingers to hurt. Shadows continue to grow taller, come closer, run out the already limited time she has to protect Silver once more. "I don't think the girl will let you get close. You'll have to—" is the last thing she hears Surge say as she abandons her spot on the stairs, not bothering to listen any further. She's not sure she wants to hear what was about to be said.
As silently as she can, she bolts back to the room. It's still too much noise. Floorboards bend and creak under her feet, breaths fall out of her lungs in pants as her heart pounds, her hands hit the wall when she almost trips, but this time, she doesn't favor stealth over speed. Both of the voices go silent too fast, and her heart stutters at the heavy footsteps that follow her.
She's barely gotten the door open before her eyes lock onto Silver, watching as he darts to his feet without a word spoken. By the time she forces the words out, he already knows what she's going to say.
"We have to go."