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Crunch, crunch, crunch.
The footsteps of a tired trainer and his Typhlosion were steady on the snow, searching for a checkpoint, anywhere to quell the ache in their legs.
Blake rounded the crag’s corner. Another cave, upper lip bordered by icicles. Somewhere to rest, but not a safe place to sleep for too long. Hauntingly deceptive. Blake had made the mistake of dozing off in a cave before, and he never would’ve woken up if his Typhlosion Quill hadn’t shoved her snout into Blake’s side. Thanks for that, he thought, smiling at his partner Pokémon.
Blake rubbed Quill’s snout with his stumps of fingers that were losing feeling at the end, the friction much appreciated.
“L-Looks like we’re stopping here, bud,” Blake conceded.
Quill grunted and side-eyed him.
“Aye, I see you, bud! I’m n-not gonna snooze this time! Promise." Blake gave Quill a reassuring pat. He then walked into the cave’s mouth with Quill following, the darkness blanketing them.
Inside, Blake could feel how cold his face was. Not like he could feel any temperature difference out there. The leftover frost tickled Blake’s nose, and he couldn't help but ah-ah-CHOO. The noise reverberated throughout the cave, bouncing off the walls and disappearing into its depths. Why did this cave go so deep? Even though he was out of the blizzard, Blake shivered.
“Man…” Blake muttered to himself, and squinted. He could faintly see the cave split into two paths ahead. Not wanting to see what laid in the deeper-sounding path, Blake began to walk into the rightmost path of the fork. Quill, knowing what to do, let her flames flicker to life across her mane, orange light creeping along the narrow walls. Blake could actually hear his own footsteps shuffling as the cave walls began to block the howling storm outside.
The dull walls embraced the pair when they stopped in a tiny chamber at the end. Blake let out a shuddering sigh as he crumpled down against the cave wall and let his backpack slide off his shoulder. Quill gazed at him for a few seconds, yawned, then curled up next to Blake. Blake felt fortunate to have his trusty partner here. Blake gave Quill’s fur a few gentle strokes before opening his Pokégear. It still had 15% charge. That’s good enough, I guess. This thing better not become a piece of junk. Let’s see if we can get a hold of anyone for help…
Trainer Joey
Kris
(Arceus, I wish I saved Silver’s number. At least he’s reliable.)
Mom
Mom. Blake’s reddened finger hovered over the dial button- would she be mad?----- before passing over her name to Professor Elm’s. Yeah, don’t need to give her a reason to worry. I can make it out of this.
Blake dialed Professor Elm’s number.
RING… RING… RING…
The cavern swallowed up the noise and spat it back at Blake. Quill’s ear twitched. In the distance, came the faintest stirrings. Shit. Blake covered the speaker with his sleeve cuff despite the Pokégear being on the lowest volume. Why’d that have to be so loud?
“H-Hello? Bla-?”
A voice! The voice was crackly and cut out at the end, but still, the call went through!
Blake whispered back.
“Heyyy, Professor Elm,” Blake chimed, “Would you happen to know a lot about Mount Silver?”
“Why, yes! Sitting at an elevation of about 8,000 meters, Mount Silver is the highest in all of Johto and Kan-bzzt! Some say it can only be conquered by the greatest of Pokémon trainers, but that’s not feasible this time of year. The weather is far too hostile!”
“Heh, yeah. I’m very familiar,” Blake said with an ironic smile. “But anyways, you know lots of things, right? Do you know if Mount Silver has any safe cave systems to hang out in? Any secret hot springs? Like hypothetically if I was in a storm, where I could wait it out?”
“What? Wait, don’t tell me... You’re up there, in the blizzard?” Elm gawked. A long pause followed, which Blake could assume was Elm pinching the bridge of his nose. Or maybe the connection was cut out again.
“Blake, kid, you kill me, ugh… Okay stay right there! Where are you right now?”
“Umm,” Blake whispered. He looked up. “A cave.”
Elm didn’t respond.
Okay, fine. Blake checked his Pokégear’s map, and in place of where he’d expect his little avatar walking, there was a “Bad Signal” message. Blake inhaled through his teeth.
“I- I can’t tell. The Pokégear doesn’t have a good enough signal.” Blake paused for a moment to think, then spoke again. “Professor Elm, I’ll get to a lower elevation and tell you where I am.” Just so you don’t panic, Blake added mentally. I’m not here to be a damsel in distress. So much for your help.
“Wait! Blake, that’s too dangerous right now. I trust your Pokémon have been doing their best to help you out there, but all of them, even your fire starter, have limited energy. I’m just trying to help you avoid the worst case scenario,” Elm rambled. His voice then rose a pitch. “You know it’s bad right now, why’d you even go up there?”
Blake played with a pebble, flicking it. He didn’t need this conversation to go on much longer.
“Don’t worry about me, Elm. You’re talking to Johto’s new champion!” Even though Elm couldn’t see it, Blake flashed Elm a small smile.
“Blake, wait--”
Click- Beep-beep-beep. The sound of hanging up resonated through the chamber.
Blake powered down his Pokégear, and he caught a glimpse of the battery percentage: down to 9%. A tiny bit of worry creeped in from the back of his mind, but he quickly bit it down. That still can be enough to make it up the mountain.
After taking a somewhat painful sip of frigid water, Blake ruffled Quill’s fur and gave her a few pats. “Alright, buddy, hope you enjoyed your lil break,” Blake said gently. Quill’s ears perked up. “But we can’t wait around here. It’s time to get going again.” The Typhlosion rose, slightly taller than Blake, and gave him a nod with eyes determined as his. Blake smiled. “This trip’s been.. unlucky so far, but we’re gonna get out of here. Thanks for roughing it out, Quill.”
Blake pointed a finger towards the cave tunnel and whispered, “Lead the way!”
Quill emitted a plume of flames from her back, and the pair traversed through the short cave corridors to the entrance. Blake peered outside at the swirling storm, whose cold was seeping into the entrance and leaving a welcome mat of snow on the floor. He turned his hat to face forward and pulled his jacket hood onto his head. Okay… here we go again!
Blake ventured out into the white, and was immediately pelted with snow, the cold sharp like tiny bullets. He slipped his goggles on and pushed his body against the wind, circling the cave to try to find a vantage point. It hadn’t been this hard to see last time he was out here.
But aha, he found the way down. A few large rocks and dead trees that Blake recognized jutted out from the snow. The snow layers on the floor had considerably thickened, and there were no traces that anyone had traveled up here.
Blake beckoned to Quill and began to trek down the mountain, his legs plunging deeper and deeper into the snow with each step. The cold penetrated his layers of clothing and Blake felt goosebumps brush up against his jacket, which was already starting to feel stiff. Blake brought his arms around himself in a tight embrace. Even after fifty paces out, he only saw the tops of a couple dead trees poking out in the distance. No rock walls, no caves. Just a barren expanse. He kept trudging down, but every
step
was more
miserable
than the last.
Eventually, his pace was so slow that he had to stop. For a few seconds, Blake just stood there, clutching himself and shivering. The cold showed no mercy to his plight, throwing snow at him all the same. The cold bit his face, his legs were tingling pins and needles, his hands were numb, and his throat was dry. Fingers trembling, Blake weakly grabbed his scarf and shuffled it over his nose.
“I- I- can’t…” Blake whispered hoarsely to himself and turned around. He couldn’t keep going downwards. Not in this state. Not when downwards seemed to be getting whiter by the second. Squinting, Blake gazed up the mountain as his hair whipped in his eyes. The visibility wasn’t great, but through the flurry of white, Blake could see the vague shape of cliff walls in the distance. Maybe the summit wasn’t as far as he thought. Maybe he was still in the game.
The cave… I just need to get back, Blake thought, and planted a foot in front of himself. A muffled crunch. Blake retraced his steps, which were already partially buried in snow. His steps still felt miserable and his feet were wet (Arceus, why didn’t I bring waterproof hiking boots?), but at least the certainty that the cave was waiting gave Blake a push to keep going.
Quill was a bit higher up, standing alert for something. Weird, she usually stays by my side. C’mon, why now? I need your warmth. Blake inhaled a sharp breath of frigid air and called out to Quill. Quill whisked her head towards Blake, looking guilty for leaving him down there, and scampered down as quickly as she could, flakes of snow flinging out from her hind legs. Blake let out a foggy sigh of relief as the flames’ warmth graced him, and he reached out and held onto Quill for support as they ascended together. In his peripheral vision, a brief flash of black flew against the white. Blake glanced over to only see the usual snowscape. But based on the way Quill was growling, it was a wild Pokémon. The last thing he needed right now. At least they were nearing the cave, and all Blake needed was another break. Teeth clenched, Blake fought the winds, making his way around the bend.
A snowdrift covered the cave’s entrance now. What a warm welcome. Blake pointed a wavering finger at the snowdrift, and Quill began to melt it with her flamethrower. The flames leaving Quill’s mouth seemed sullen and less intense now. Blake furrowed his eyebrows at the observation. Despite Quill’s fire typing, the snow was taking its toll on her, too.
Maybe I’ll return her to her ball soon. This sucks, but I gotta have my Pokémon at their best when I fight… him. At least I have other outs. You can’t become the very best without trials.
Once the snowdrift had been completely melted through, Blake stepped inside the cave and trudged to the nearest wall. Okay, we can rest here for a while before setting out again. He shook his head. I really can’t keep stopping every time the snow is what, cold? I’ll never make it to the top if I keep letting that get me down.
Removing his goggles, Blake slumped down and let Quill’s warmth wash over his body once again. He breathed in and out into his scarf to regain feeling in his nose while staring at the cave ceiling dotted with spikes. Quill’s flames flickered in and out, and she looked tired. As much as he’d like more of that warmth, Blake rubbed Quill’s head and whispered, “It’s okay, you can rest now.” To that, her flames died down.
Blake took the chance to check his Pokégear, which had 5 missed calls from Professor Elm. Dang, he really didn’t believe in me? He shouldn’t waste my battery like that! Blake thought.
…Whatever. Might as well give him a little update. Just as Blake was about to dial up Professor Elm again, a chitter erupted from the depths of the cave, sounding vaguely like laughter. Blake quickly closed the Pokégear.
He heard footsteps shuffle towards him and then stop. Blake’s heartbeat began to accelerate, and he tapped Quill, standing up. He was ready for battle, as a champion should be. But as Quill rose, Blake saw how her eyelids sagged and her usual proud posture slumped. She’s been using her flames and protecting me the whole way ‘til now, and we aren’t even at Mount Silver’s peak. Maybe it’s better if we got out of here.. Gotta save her energy. Blake nodded towards the exit to Quill, his gaze darting from her to the exit and back. He wanted to put as much distance between them and the potential attacker before returning Quill to her Pokéball. Quill nodded weakly, then followed. The silence from the cave lingered, the uncertainty jaws around Blake’s heart. Blake didn’t care as much when he stepped out into the snow, because it was the lesser of his opponents right now. Elm could wait. The only way out now was up.
Blake took increasingly longer strides upward into the white, keeping Quill close. It felt like the cave’s mouth still loomed behind him, and he kept looking back to check he wasn’t being followed.
After a few minutes of walking, Quill began to heave, and when Blake looked over, her eyes looked sunken in. Blake gritted his teeth, knowing it had to come to this. He unclipped a gold-studded Pokéball from his belt and pointed it at his starter. “Good job, Quill. Return.” He pressed the button in the middle, and a flash of blue light enveloped Quill, converting her figure into a small digital version before tucking it inside. “T-thank you, buddy.” Blake held the Pokéball up to his face before clipping it back onto his belt. Blake slipped on his goggles and steeled himself. He had to keep going.
Blake walked the rest of the way up, alone.
Time felt like it stretched on and on in the expanses of snow. Blake couldn’t feel his legs anymore. Seeing white everywhere felt sickening. His eyelids threatened to slump down and stay there forever, the blackness of it all tempting. But Blake refused to let his body rest, oh no, not yet.
Blake’s resolve was still there, but unfortunately, the universe had not thrown him a bone for his efforts. The storm just kept getting worse, the sky swirling with heavy snow. Blake could barely see, and he swore he saw more snow particles than the actual scenery before him.
I can’t even tell where I’m going..… but just focus on… getting one foot… in front of the other… one foot… in front of the other… one foot… another. One foot…
Another
One foot
Another
I’m cold
One foot
Another
One foot--
A visceral scream tore out of Blake’s throat.
ADRENALINE shot through Blake’s system as a nimble mass hurled into his side, hooking sharp claws into his shoulder blades as he felt claws SLICE across his right calf. Reeling over from the attack, Blake collapsed backwards into the snow, a painful thud that sent cold rushing all over his back as his calf stung with blood now running freely, hotly unbidden, as agile footsteps encircled him.
Blake scrambled backwards even if his leg screamed at the motion, fleeing, trying to identify his attackers, but as his vision danced, he only saw small dark silhouettes, a feather sticking out of their heads, posture delighted. Blake’s left hand darted for a Pokéball, fumbling with the button as he shivered violently, but he was a second too late… the ball was swiped out of his clammy hand, and an attacker already planting its feet into his chest. Its body felt light, but he couldn’t tell since his body was buzzing with adrenaline ready to fly ready to fly already. A sneering Pokémon leaned forward, a single fang sticking out of its toothed grin and eyes hungry-- and Blake finally saw these predators for what they really were: Sneasels.
A tiny bit in the back of his mind screamed that these were just Sneasels, so
FEND THEM OFF
Shaking, Blake tried to jab his elbow into the Sneasel’s body, praying to buy time - Gotta send out-- Only to have claws slash his sleeve, gashing open his forearm.
Blake yelled in agony as his breath escaped his mouth in clouds. His body was failing him. His blood stained the pristine snow.
The Sneasel threw his arm to his side and loomed above him, its eyes focused, scanning his face, and raised a claw, calculating, poised.
Then it struck.
Blake’s vision went red.
Sharp, searing pain stabbed into his right eye, pain shooting throughout his cranium, the sound of plastic CRUNCHING and embedding within his skull. Red, hot blood gushed down his cheek and pooled in his goggles, cascading from the jagged edges of his broken goggle lens. Blake felt a line yanking from within his eye socket, and a swift tearing, taking a part of him with it, veins, vitreous and all.
And all Blake could do was scream.
The wind howled in delight
as Blake’s screams were carried away with the blizzard.