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Snow in Turrfield was pretty rare; it only happened once every three winters. And with a farming town like Turrfield, which mainly focused on crops, you were much better off without it. With the cold winds and overall lack of sunlight, the crops would suffer no doubt. Though the farmers were more than adequately prepared for the snow (they had to be in order to protect their precious crops), it still proved to be quite the nuisance. Still, for some residents of the farming town, snow was a welcomed sight. The tiny flakes dancing in the sky as they gracefully fell from the heavens to coat the ground below was a most beautiful and rare sight. And that was just the case for a certain farmer and Grass-type gym leader.
Milo’s green eyes glimmered as he gazed out the window at the sight. The usually green, grass-covered pasture was now enveloped in a thick, large blanket of snow. Snowflakes gently grazed the window as they fell to the earth. The surrounding trees, the fence surrounding the field, the roof of the barn, the stonehenges, even the geoglyph were all covered in snow. The forecast did call for snow, but he never expected this much! The small farming town looked almost as snowy as Circhester!
“Welp, not much to do on the farm with all this snow…” Milo mused. “Better go feed the Pokémon.”
With that, Milo proceeded with his morning routine, showering, brushing his teeth, and getting himself dressed. He opted for his longer, warmer, green wool coat, with a matching scarf, hat, and sloves, made from the wool of the very Wooloo and Dubwool he raised. It was soft to the touch and insulated, perfect for a cold, snowy day such as this. He sifted through the closet to find his heavy snow boots, buried in the very back of the closet from three winters ago. The insides also contained Wooloo and Dubwool wool, ensuring that the wearer’s feet stayed nice and toasty. He pulled the boots onto his feet and marched downstairs and into the kitchen.
His Appletun, who was curled up under the dining room table lifted her head up at the sound of familiar footsteps, eyestalks erect. She trilled in excitement when she spotted him, bounding over and tackling his leg.
The farmer couldn’t help but laugh. Kneeling down, he pet the Apple Nectar Pokémon’s helmet, eliciting a purr from the Grass/Dragon-type as she stood on her hind legs, eager to feel his touch.
“Well, hello there, Sweetie Pie,” he greeted warmly. “How are ya today? Ya hungry?”
“Tun!” Sweetie Pie barked in reply, her stubby tail whipping back and forth. “Tun, Tun!”
Milo chuckled. He opened the cupboard where all the Pokémon’s food bowls were located. Sweetie Pie was already two steps ahead of him, patently sitting at the Pokémon’s designated eating spot in the corner of the kitchen. He juggled the bowls in his arms, accidentally dropping some in the process as he spread them out in the corner of the room. The sound of the bowls clattering against the tiled floor must have alerted the others because no sooner had the bowls hit the floor, his other Pokémon came barreling in, surrounding the poor farmer. They all clamored hungrily.
“Haha, relax, y’all. I’ll have your food in a sec, if ya let me get to it first.”
But the hungry Pokémon did not let up. It wasn’t until Lorrie, Milo’s Eldegoss, the very first Pokémon he had ever caught, let out an ear-splitting Hyper Voice did the Pokémon settle down. Luckily, Milo had covered his ears just in the nick of time, or he would have probably gone deaf.
“Thank you much, Lorrie,” he thanked the Grass-type.
“Goss!” The Cotton Bloom Pokémon grinned, ignoring the grumbles and side eyes from her fellow companions.
“Now, I want y’all to form a nice, straight line, smallest to tallest, ya hear?”
The group of Grass-typed nodded and obediently formed a line with Milo’s Flapple, Silver, at the front. Milo opened the lower cupboard, which held the Pokémon’s organic kibble, perfect for Grass-types. He also grabbed a bowl of Oran and Sitrus berries from the refrigerator to throw in as well. Two scoops of kibble and three of each berry for the smaller ones like Lorrie and Dawn, and three scoops and four scoops and four of each berry for the larger ones like Shifty the Shiftree and Lolo the Ludicolo.
“Here you go, Silver,” Milo said, handing the Flapple Pokémon his bowl.
“Flap!” The Apple Wing Pokémon squeaked, fluttering about happily.
“And here you go, Cloud and Dawn.” He set the bowl down for the Cherrim and Bellossom.
“Cherrim!”
“Bella, Bella!”
One by one, Milo gave each of his Pokémon their breakfast until he got to Lolo the Ludicolo.
“And here is yours, Lolo.”
“Ludi! Ludicolo!” Lolo cheered, doing a little jig.
Milo stood up. He grabbed a Sweet Apple from the fruit basket set on the dining room table and made a beeline for the door. He turned back to his Pokémon, who were all huddled in the corner, happily munching away.
“Now, I’m gonna go feed the others and clear out some of the snow. Y’all be good, alright?”
Various cries erupted from the group, signaling that they understood.
Pulling his scarf over his face, he opened the front door. A harsh wind, rivaling a Blizzard attack blasted in his face. He forced himself through it and quickly shut the door behind him. The snow crunched beneath his feet as he trudged through it. With every step, his boots sank in the white fluffiness. A few Frosmoth flitted about in the air above him, another rare sight in Turrfield.
It took longer than usual, but Milo finally arrived at the barn. Pulling the heavy red doors open, he was greeted by a chorus of baas from his Wooloo and Dubwool, moos from the Miltank and Tauros, and barks from the Yamper and Boltund.
“Good morning, y’all,” he greeted. Like with his other Pokémon, he went on to feed them just the right amount of food they needed, coupled with Oran and Sitrus Berries. He also turned the thermostat up a few degrees so the Pokémon would feel nice and warm. All 50 of them were soon happy and fed and the barn door was tightly shut and secured.
“Hey, Sunshine!”
Milo immediately perked up at the familiar voice and his head turned to meet the eyes of its owner.
Layla, his girlfriend, sat atop the snow-covered wooden fence, a bright smile plastered on her face. She was dressed in a heavy, fur-lined yellow puffer jacket with a pair of black snow boots that were lined with Wooloo wool. She was also sporting a pair of yellow earmuffs and a knitted hat, scarf, and gloves set.
Milo’s expression brightened instantaneously. He practically rushed over to meet her.
“Hello, Love,” Milo acknowledged, pecking her on the cheek. He offered his hand, which Layla graciously accepted, and helped her over the fence.
“Wow, there’s a whole lotta snow out here! It makes Circhester look like a joke,” the young woman laughed.
“Yup,” Milo agreed. “Which is why I’ve got to clear it out a bit.”
“Can’t that wait until later?” Layla pouted. “It’s a nice, snowy day out! Snow doesn’t come here all too often.”
The Grass-type leader hummed in thought. “You’re right. I guess it can wait.” He turned to face the field. “So, what do you wanna do? Build some snow Pokémon? Or maybe make some snow angels—!”
Milo yelped as a sudden cold sensation slammed against his neck. He whipped around to see Layla giggling devilishly. In her mittened hand was the culprit: a snowball. She launched it, this time hitting him in the chest.
“Oh-ho, you think that’s funny, eh?”
He reached down, scooping up a handful of snow. Layla’s laughter died out as she noticed Milo’s hands forming a snowball. She quickly broke out in a sprint, but the harsh impact of the snowball striking her in the back caused her to fall over with an “oof” before she could get very far.
It was Milo’s turn to laugh, but it faltered when Layla didn’t get up right away. He rushed over toward her, eyes filled with worry.
“Layla, love?” he knelt down beside her limp body, rolling her over onto her back. Her eyes were shut and her face was covered in snow. He gently shook her, but she did not react. Nervousness rose inside of him.
“Layla? Layla?”
Blue eyes snapped open and the woman launched herself at the farmer, tackling him down to the snowy earth. Laughs erupted from her and Milo breathed a sigh of relief.
“Love, you really gave me a fright!” he exclaimed, but joined Layla in her laughter. “I thought I seriously hurt you.”
“Sorry,” she giggled, pecking him on the lips. “Payback for hitting me with that snowball.”
Layla pushed herself up and helped her boyfriend to his feet, dusting the snow that clung to their bodies.
“So..do you wanna build a snow Pokémon?” Milo asked jokingly.
“C’mon, let’s go and play!” Layla laughed, grabbing hold of the farmer’s hand, practically dragging him.
_______________
The couple got to work, rolling around tiny balls of snow that grew bigger over time. Once they had enough snowballs, they began sculpting their snow Pokémon. Layla was going for an Eevee while Milo was sculpting a simple Pikachu. Layla’s experienced hands perfectly formed the head, ears, and furry collar of the Evolution Pokémon. She morphed the largest snowball into a body, forming its hind legs in a seated position and its front legs upright. Using her fingers, she carved out its eyes, nose, and mouth. It almost looked like the real thing. In contrast, Milo’s snow Pikachu was...a bit unlife-like. The ears were uneven, the body was chunky and rotund and its tail was narrow. The farmer had scoured the ground for some pebbles for the eyes, nose, and mouth. The eyes were two different sizes and its smile was a bit lopsided, but Milo was proud of his work.
The farmer stole a glance at his girlfriend’s sculpture.
“Wow, Love, it almost looks real,” he mused. “Like it could jump at you at a moment’s notice.”
She grinned. “Thanks, Sunshine.”
She turned to take a look at his sculpture and she could barely contain her giggles.
Milo chuckled Woolooishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s nothing spectacular…”
“Well, I think it’s cute! I love chonky Pikachu!”
The couple shared a hearty laugh. A chilling breeze blew by, turning their laughs into shivers.
“Whew! Seems like it’s gettin’ even colder out here,” Milo pointed out.
“Hot cocoa sounds wonderful right about now,” Layla said. “Feels like my fingers are about to fall off.” She rubbed her gloved hands together in an attempt to warm them up.
“Well, why don’t we go back inside and get some?” Milo offered. “I just bought some cocoa powder; I can whip some up no problem.”
“With marshmallows and whipped cream and peppermint?”
“Anything you want.”
“Well then, let’s go!” Layla immediately took off, racing toward the house. “Race ya there!”
“H-Hey! Wait for me, Love!”
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The fire crackled as it danced on the burning logs in the fireplace. Milo and Layla sat snuggled on the sofa, mugs of steaming hot cocoa in hand. Milo’s Pokémon sat in a ring in front of them, soundly snoozing in front of the fire. The smell of the burning wood along with the chocolatey and minty goodness radiating from the mugs and the low, muffled noises emanating from the television made for a calming atmosphere. Outside, the snowfall had started to pick up again, the raging wind battering against the window. They had made it back just in time. It was warm and cozy, just perfect.
Layla sighed in content, cuddling against Milo, prompting the farmer to wrap an arm around her torso, bringing her even closer. He pressed a kiss against her warm golden curls. There was no need for them to talk; their silence was enough for them
The events of their little snow day played back in their minds. It was a welcomed treat and they would go back out again once the snowfall calmed down again. But that was for later. Right now, they would enjoy the warmth and comfort of one another as the howling wind and the crackling fire lulled them into a peaceful slumber.