Lost
By Daianta
Word Count: 2867
This is a fanfic contest entry for Waveripple over on deviantArt. The theme is snow and ice.
This is a LanceXKaren because I decided so xD And they never get enough attention. I think they'd be good together. But that's just me...
I do not own Pokemon.
Snow… It covered every little inch around her, blurring and twisting, throwing around shards without abandon. The skies were grey with snow, falling faster and thicker than earlier in the day. It was beginning to darken, signifying nightfall. The snow didn't seem to relent, throwing the woman off course and making her lost. The ground was covered, closing off the grass from the sky above. In a few days, it would frost over and crunch beneath people and Pokémon's feet, in a similar fashion as it was now.
The mountains never usually seemed this bad… Of course, this was the first time she had trekked through a snowstorm. Mount Silver never seemed to get snow; Johto was a warmer region than Kanto or even Hoenn. It was also uncharacteristically out of season.
Karen turned in the thick snow, Umbreon bounding around her. The Pokémon seemed to love the snow; he never really had a chance to enjoy it. Her other Pokémon were on her belt, except of course, Umbreon and Houndoom. The female Dark Pokémon loved the snow, and was chasing Umbreon around. But they were staying close, now that the snow was getting thicker.
She was wearing a long sleeved coat that fell down to her calves, a deep blue colour. It had a high collar, which was pulled up high against the winds that battered at her, and a red scarf added extra protection. Karen was, underneath the coat, wearing thermals and thick clothing, and also had a long pair of jeans on. They were growing damp from the wet snow.
Karen huffed to no one in particular; the wet coupled with the cold meant she was at risk from hypothermia. And with no food or drink to keep herself healthy, she was sure to die.
Houndoom bounded back over to her, nuzzling her master with her cold nose and muzzle. Her dark eyes were closed against the cold, and Karen smiled.
"Don't worry, we'll find a way home."
She would send Murkrow out to call for help, but due to the blizzards, she didn't want to lose her Pokémon.
They walked purposely, striding through the snow drifts that formed around Mt. Silver, occasionally losing their balance. Karen's hands were frozen stiff, aching with the cold that seeped into her bones. She was tired, but fought to keep moving. From time to time, Houndoom had warmed her with her fire, but she was getting tired as well. They couldn't afford to lose any more heat or energy.
One of the smaller caves seemed empty, and Umbreon ran inside, scampering to the edge and back again. When he asserted that it was okay to enter, Karen slipped inside, murmuring to herself. The cave was significantly warmer than the outside, but that wasn't hard.
It was then that she realised she was shivering. Really shivering. She knew hypothermia was setting in, and she began to rub her hands together. She called for her Pokémon and they burst forth, huddling around her to keep her warm.
She remembered that Ash Ketchum had done something similar when he was trapped in the snow, and she found a renewed love for her Pokémon.
Vileplume sat in her lap, huddled to her chest, while Murkrow was perched on her shoulder, wings adding more warmth to her face and neck. Gengar was beside her, hugging with all his strength to keep his master warm. His eyes were screwed shut against the cold. Umbreon, on the other hand, was curled around her other side, breathing warm air into the little ball the Pokémon had created around Karen. Houndoom, ever efficient, brought twigs and set fire to them, providing the bare essentials that would allow them to survive.
"I really don't know where this snow came from, you guys," Karen mused to herself, "It came from nowhere."
She lost perception of time. Her vision swam in and out of focus, the cold seemingly overpowering her. Her Pokémon were strong, braving the cold to keep her warm, even though it was failing. It should have been slightly above freezing, not encountering blizzard conditions and zero visibility.
Things went blurry rather quickly. It felt like her head was spinning; as if she was drunk but not enjoying the ride. She found she couldn't shiver either, which meant she was in advanced stages of hypothermia.
Karen slept, or rather, passed out.
It was dark. It was cold. Her body felt weak, felt out of her control. Karen opened her eyes to the sound of someone calling for her. She felt disorientated; still dizzy. She felt like she hadn't eaten for days, which was probably true.
"Karen!"
She startled slightly, the Pokémon around her moving hazily. They seemed to stretch and move, relieving the tension on their aching joints and parts. Karen flexed her hands, testing their strength. They seemed warmer than they did earlier, but they were still cold.
The voice called for her again, and she tried to respond. Her voice was croaky with disuse, and she suddenly felt ashamed of herself. She was an ex-member of Team Rocket. Weaknesses were a flaw that needed to be removed.
Her prayers were answered in the form of her Houndoom, who burst from the cave and let out a howl that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She loved it when her Pokémon howled, and usually got a dark, sombre response.
However, in this instance, her Houndoom did not receive a howl back. Instead, it received a roar that sent the Pokémon scrambling for the cave entrance. Karen tried to rush to her feet as she recognised the sound of an angry Ursaring. It was supposed to be hibernating now… Had they disturbed it!
Karen suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled across the cave, leaning heavily against the cold, damp wall. She was breathing heavily, eyes switching between focused and unfocused as she struggled to maintain her balance. Her clothes were drenched in sweat; annoying to the Elite Four member. She was cold, how in Hell could she be sweating?
There was a moment of dark silence, punctuated by the brisk snap of twigs and the all-too-loud sound of Karen's breathing. Her lungs hurt her; her chest was heaving with the effort. Her mouth was dry, stomach twisting angrily as it hungered.
Just how long had she been out here for?
"Karen!" the voice roared again.
There was a screeching sound, then something hit the bear Pokémon square in the chest. The light created by the attack blinded her, and threw Karen off balance even more. Her silvery hair fell in front of her eyes, and she allowed it to stay there, burrowing again into her coat. Umbreon padded over to her silently, glancing up at the trainer with amber eyes. They seemed happy, if a little bit confused.
Was their ordeal over?
The Ursaring ambled away, crunching in the snow that no longer fell from the sky. In fact, the sky looked clear; no longer a dark grey but a blueish colour that was associated after a period of heavy weather.
A lone figure appeared in the entrance of the cave, blotted out against the light. The woman found herself taking a step back, hands flying up to wrap around herself, Umbreon nuzzling at her leg.
"Karen, oh God, is that you?"
The voice… The velvety rich voice that never failed to attract her and cause her to swoon like a pubescent girl. The figure was tall, taller than her. He had three Dragonite behind him, followed by a Charizard and a Gyarados; and Karen knew there was an Aerodactyl somewhere in Mount Silver.
He stepped forwards, towards her, Vileplume and Gengar in step with him. Murkrow was flying towards the exit, to allow them a moment to catch up. Houndoom sauntered behind the man, who looked very emotional for someone so stoic.
Lance.
Karen's body worked without her permission, stepping up from the wall and taking a few tentative steps towards him. Her hands were shaking, breath piling from her mouth with wisps of white. It was still so cold.
She only managed to hobble before she collapsed to the floor, using the rockface to slow her descent. Lance ran forwards to grab her, pulling Karen into a hug.
He never usually was affectionate, but she found herself past caring.
He was warm, a warmth that Karen felt she had never felt before. He was wearing a long coat, cape gone for now. The coat was a dark blue, reaching past his knees to his calves. He was wearing long boots that came to just below the knee, smothered in ice from his run across the frozen plains of Mount Silver. His cheeks were slightly pink from the cold and the excursion, while Karen imagined herself to be a deep hue of red.
"You've been gone for days, Karen! We were beginning to lose hope."
Her groggy mind caught up with her, "What? How long was I gone for?"
He pulled back and stared at her, brown eyes boring into hers. "You've been missing for four days."
Silvery blue eyes teared up as she leant back to stare at him. "That's not possible... I remember wandering... Walking for hours and hours. I didn't know the time, or where I was going. We found a cave, this cave, and I grew tired. Woke up, attacked by an Ursaring, you here."
Lance brushed a hand across the top of the woman's head, soothing her. She found that she didn't move away from the contact but rather moved into it, brushing her head against him.
"I've got some things in my bag if you want to eat something now. They're not hot, but I think you need something. I've got a little something for your Pokémon as well."
Real tears spilled from her eyes in a slow, sluggish torrent. A sob ruptured from her throat, and she placed a shaking hand across her mouth. The reality was setting in. She could have died. Her Pokémon almost sacrificed themselves for her. After her past, she didn't think she deserved happiness. As an ex-member of Team Rocket, the notion of Pokémon and happiness didn't seem to fit in the same sentence. These were the same Pokémon that she used back in her Rocket days... It was a testament to the bond they shared.
"Lance, I don't know what to say... I could have died out here. Murkrow couldn't fly because of the blizzard... You saved my life."
"It's okay, Karen." Lance replied, setting the bag between them and pulling out various containers. "I thought I'd go crazy not knowing where you were, I had to go and look for you myself. After you told no one where you were planning on training, we had people everywhere looking for you."
He opened a few of the tubs and passed them to Karen's ravenous Pokémon. They busied themselves while the Pokémon champion passed his counterpart a fat sausage roll. She tore into it savagely, ignoring the smirk on Lance's face. She always ate daintily in front of the others, but was known by her Pokémon for stuffing her face at home.
When she finished, Karen glanced up to him and held her hand out. His expression was grave, complexion now pale and contrasting with his flaming hair.
He gave her another food item and she gorged on it, before washing down a lukewarm tea that Houdoom reheated for her.
Karen felt drunk on the food. She felt like she had gone forever without it, fading in and out of consciousness for the past four days. She hallucinated; she knew she had. Her Pokémon looked sated as they slowly, one by one returned to their Pokéballs, knowing that their job of protecting their master was finished. Murkrow was the last to go, pecking gently at the still cold Karen.
Lance rectified that, pulling a thick coat from his seemingly magical bag and wrapping it over her, applying an extra layer.
"C'mon, you need to warm up." He summoned over his Dragonite who snuggled against her, warm breath tickling at her face and neck.
"I need to get you back, Karen, but it's cold in the sky. You won't be able to handle it."
Lance looked dejected, and Karen looked at him. "You could summon Mountain Rescue to rescue us? They'll get an ambulance to ensure I'm safe as well as you. You won't have to leave me alone."
He looked enlightened. He picked his phone from his pocket, painfully reminding Karen that hers had gone walkies through her snow trek. Thank god it was over. She could feel herself warming up next to the Dragonite, and Charizard ambled over to add a flame for her to heat herself with. She contented herself to stroking Charizard's hot muzzle as Lance spoke to someone on his phone, giving them details and directions.
Karen zoned it out until she felt someone touch her arm, "It's okay, Karen, I'm here."
He pulled them to the ground and sat her on his lap, the oversized coat providing warmth for both of them. He recalled his other Pokémon, with the exception of Charizard. He would be a valued asset in the reheating of Karen's temperature.
They sat in silence, listening to the deep breathing of each other and the snuffle of Charizard from time to time. Lance was playing with her hair idly, as if trying to remember it.
"You know, I thought I'd lost you. My cousin Clair thought I was going crazy, I couldn't stop pacing and thinking of you. I mean, it would be hard having any member of the Elite Four go missing, but for you, Karen the Dark Queen, it was too much. Will was... Silent, to say the least. He was trying all the old Rocket places, hoping you weren't planning on setting off the traps. Bruno went as far as Sinnoh looking for you... He thought you might have been looking for an adventure. I... I felt lost without you, Karen."
She felt heat rising to her cheeks again, causing the pink blush that reminded her of being fourteen again.
"Lance..." She began.
"When we get out of here," He cut across, "I'm going to take you home. I'm going to spend time with you like I should have done, instead of ignoring you half the time. I think I'm falling for you."
He sounded troubled, and Karen squirmed on his lap to turn around and face him. Her hand – still shaking – came to rest on his cheek. At least she was beginning to warm up.
"Don't ever allow yourself to wallow in pity. I feel something for you too, Lance. It just took an incident like this to make us realise."
He leant forwards slowly, and Karen found her heart beating faster. This was coming true, he really was going to kiss her.
Just as they were about to touch, a shrill cry burst into the air like song, throwing the pair from each other and onto their feet.
"What in..." Lance began. The pair pulled each other to the precipice of the cave entrance.
A huge bird Pokémon was flying past.
It was magnificent. It was a pale blue colour, the wings decorated in what appeared to be ice crystals. Falling from its wings looked like powdered snow, giving it an ethereal glow as it billowed around the Pokémon as it flew. Its grey legs were tucked up beneath it, body plump but streamlined at the same time. A white chest was emblazoned for all to see. Its head was arched forwards, tilting at an angle to stare at the travellers. Its eyes were grey, a similar slate colour to its beak. It cawed once more, bursting a fat stream of ice from its mouth to arch and fall around it.
Karen dared not breathe while one of the Legendary Birds flew past. To most it was a myth, shown to doomed travellers high in the mountains. Adrenalin began to burst through her veins, and she clung tighter to Lance. She wanted to take a picture, but she had no camera.
Lance stood, awestruck at the beauty of the ice bird in front of him.
"Articuno." His whispers caused the bird to flap its wings once and take to the skies even higher, the snow and ice falling around it and vanishing along with the Pokémon.
"I don't believe it." He said, eyes wide as he looked down at Karen. "I think we've been blessed."
Karen found his tone humorous, and smiled at him. "I think so."
She pulled him down to her and kissed him square on the mouth, causing him to flutter his eyes closed and kiss her with fervour. Their bodies pressed close together to escape the heat.
Articuno, the undisputed king of the ice had blessed them with his appearance. Ice had brought Karen and Lance together, at last, and it would take a lot more than fire to melt their seemingly perfect relationship.
Charizard roared behind them, and rescuers appeared near the entrance.
"Don't worry, you're safe now."