It was getting colder.
Skyla huffed slightly, and noted the vapid steam of her breath dissipate into the air. The swirling winds around the peak of the Celestial Tower bore the ominous chill not unlike that of a particularly nasty winter. But it was only September; it wasn't supposed to be getting so cold so soon. The Flying-type Gym Leader had a bad feeling about it; the residents of the towers, the psychics and the ghost-candles, were getting fractious, nervous. Skyla supposed Pokemon more inclined to supernatural talents were better at sensing bad things to come.
And it made her nervous.
She was currently sat on the edge of the top-most portion, next to the great bell, which swayed to and fro in the wind, and she was clad in her winter outfit; thick padded trousers and jumper, navy-blue with cyan trimmings. It wasn't as comfortable as her usual style, but it was warm, and in the cold air upon the tower, that was useful. She was gazing out to the north-west, where dark grey clouds hovered over the land. Traces of white showed snowfall, and all the while, the cold winds blew.
As a child, Skyla had heard the stories; a monster made of ice, lurking within the great chasm on the opposite side of the region. Wide-eyed and awe-struck, she had listened to her mother speaking of how the beast would attack Pokemon and human alike; some say it ate them, some say it froze them as trophies, some say it took to another dimension. Regardless, one thing was for certain; it was a malicious beast that everyone feared. Another story gave an interesting twist; the beast was actually incomplete. It sought to revive its true power by stealing the lives of other creatures, hoping to become complete and initiate a reign of ice for all time.
She'd never believed in them. But now, hearing the rumours, feeling the vicious colds moving onto the region, watching reports on growing glaciers, she wondered if it was true; had the ice-beast risen from the chasm to begin its conquest of Unova? Would it not stop until the world was nothing more than an artic wasteland?
Not her style, but right now, she wished she trained Rock-types, or Steel-types, and shuddered in self-induced nervousness.
She often came to the Celestial Tower to sit and think; it was a quiet and spiritual place, perfect for contemplation, meditation, or listening to the ethereal beauty of the bell. Normally, her thoughts were on trivial, but as of now, they were locked onto fear of what may come….
"Cold, isn't it?"
The red-head turned, and was relieved to see her girlfriend standing over there, the typical stoic expression on her face as she moved to sit down next to her. Like her, Elesa was also wearing thicker clothes to deal with the weather, thought the omnipresent headphones with their long wires remained. Shuddering again, Skyla snuggled up to the taller girl, thankful for the comforting arm that sidled around her torso and brought her closer.
"Very cold." She murmured softly, looking up at Elesa's calm expression with nervous blue eyes. "Not so good for Flying-types. Makes me worried, a little."
"I know. The cold isn't exactly productive at Nimbasa either." Elesa replied, her free hand twirling a wire around casually. After a brief moment, a tiny smirk graced her smooth face, and she said: "If I know you like I think I do, Skyla, I'd imagine you're thinking about the chasm."
Skyla bit her lips, but nevertheless nodded.
Elesa titled an eyebrow, before continuing: "To be honest, under normal circumstances, I'd say you were being superstitious. But as recent events have shown, the glaciers aren't as still as they used to be and winter is happening at the start of autumn. Put simply, Skyla: I think you might be right."
"Then the thing in the chasm is real?" The red-head whimpered, instinctively clutching her love tighter in slight panic. "And it's going to wake up and cover Unova in ice? And then the whole world is gonna-"
"No, I don't think it will get that far." Elesa said smoothly, and, underneath the shock at her lack of caring for the dreaded rising of an ice-monster, Skyla envied and adored the eternal calm on her girlfriend's face. Nothing short of that battle with Team Plasma in that castle a year ago when the beasts of fire and lightning clashed really bothered her.
Nevertheless, she asked: "You sure?"
"Positive. As you know, Skyla, this isn't the first time something rather cataclysmic has threatened Unova. And who stopped the King of Team Plasma last time?"
That tiny smirk widened into a smug grin, and Skyla couldn't help but giggle as she cuddled the other Gym Leader tighter: "That nice girl. Forgot her name, though."
"Indeed. I'd imagine if she can stop the fire-dragon, she can stop whatever's in the chasm. Besides, if not her, you know we, and the other members of the League, would take care of it, right?"
Skyla bit her lip again, assured in herself and the others in terms of skill, but nevertheless hesitant, wary: "Um…. Wouldn't it be risky?"
Elesa chuckled, a rather sweet sound that contrasted her generally stoic tone, her eyes softening slightly in a reassuring manner. No-one could quite get her to soften up as Skyla could: "Of course. But since when has that ever stopped us before?"
The other girl giggled slightly, before falling silent, content to curl into the warm body of the supermodel, her best friend and valued partner. Yes, bad things may come in the future, and maybe the monster was rise from the depths, bringing blizzards and terror with it, but there was always hope, and always someone ready to rise to the challenge.
Elesa hugged her tightly, and it didn't feel so cold anymore.