The wind shrieked through the mountains, whipping the still-falling snow into blinding, biting sheets. Visibility was next to nothing, the drifts were piling up fast, and being outside long meant certain frostbite or hypothermia. The guards atop the walls of Fort Johton knew this, and they rotated their shifts frequently. Nestled high in Unova's rugged northwestern mountains, Fort Johton carried stockpiles of weapons, medicine, research data, as well as being a prime place for high-altitude, cold weather "research" of it's own. It was a formidable place; a three-story high, hexagonal stone and metal behemoth perpetually crusted with ice. The guards did their duty as best they could, but in weather this bad it was near impossible. The only movement was the groaning, swaying trees and the countless flakes swirling about...except for three tiny, unseen figures slowly making their way toward a side access door spotted days prior. They wore all white clothing and had heavy white coats, gloves and boots to blend in with the environment. The first figure stopped and stooped low to rest and regain their bearings. The second, shivering, crawled over and wormed his way under her coat. The third stooped beside them and said as loudly as he dared, despite the wind, "I have a bad feeling about this!"

The first figure turned her head to glare at him, her blue eyes cold as the snow around them, "James, you always have a bad feeling about this!"

"And how many times have I been right Jessie?" he protested, "Honestly; of all the stupid, dangerous things we've pulled, this is just about the worst! This place is heavily guarded, inside and out, and those 'use of deadly force' signs we saw earlier weren't kidding! The payout of this break-in better be worth it, that's all."

"Stop whining! Of course it'll be worth it! All that research, sold to the highest bidder! Those medical supplies! What's not useful to us now we'll sell at a good profit! And of course any Pokemon we can get a hold of we'll grab. We'll be rolling in money on the beach in a week!"

"As long as we don't-"
"C-can we stop fightin' and start gettin' inside already?" a muffled voice pleaded from under Jessie's coat, "I'm turnin' into a Meowth-sicle!"

She shivered, "Good point. We'll all be if we don't get there soon."

After another moment of strategizing, they again began creeping toward the fort, keeping eyes both on their target entry door and the guards on the walls when the snow wasn't too thick. When they were a mere ten feet away, Jessie turned slightly and said "Ok, on the count of three, we make a break for the door. One..two..."
Abruptly James shoved her down just as a short, sharp crack was heard.
Meowth, who had chosen to brave the elements again, bristled and looked around "What was that?!"
Jessie fell face first in the snow, flailed, and leapt back up angrily, snarling "Just what the hell do you-!?"

She paused when she saw James grimacing and clutching the left side of his chest. "What?" she repeated, "What happened?"
He opened one eye, "Ouch..." he uttered, barely audible in the gale.
Just then a loud, angry whistle sounded from the walls, followed by shouts and more whistles. Jessie gasped-they had been spotted!
Meowth waved a paw, "C'mon, we'll backtrack! Make it harder for 'em!" and bounded back down their trail. She grabbed James's hand, "ABANDON SHIP! Move!" Starting to run, his hand slipped from hers and she whipped around, "What are you doing?! We have to run!"

Still holding his chest, he locked eyes with her, "Go on without me..."
In a panic she cried, "Are you insane!?" and grabbed his collar, yanking him a few steps. His hands dropped to reveal an oozing, bloody hole in his coat. Jessie froze in horror, staring at it.
James pulled a tight smile, "Told you those signs weren't kidding." and collapsed.

She managed to partially catch him as he fell, though his weight took them both down. She hoisted him to sit semi-upright, bracing him against herself.
"MEOWTH!" she screamed into the howling wind, which had picked up for the worse. No answer. Turning her attention back to her wounded friend, she yelled "James? JAMES! Answer me!"

Approaching shouts caught her attention; she knew they were in trouble, but how much depended on her now and how quick she could think. She swiftly buried their bag of burglary supplies and weapons deep in the snow and covered it as smoothly as possible. Next she removed a glove and using her fingernails, ripped jagged holes in both their coats.

Swallowing hard to steady her nerves, she turned her head and wailed "HEEEEELP! Help us!"
Several guards suddenly surrounded them, guns pointed. One shouted "Who are you?! Why are you here?"

Summoning her acting skills for the story but not the tears streaming down her frozen face she sobbed "We're hikers! We were attacked by a Beartic," she displayed her torn sleeve, "then got lost when this storm kicked up and we knew this place was here and we were hoping for help and you SHOT HIM!"

"Oh jeez," another said, "Captain Brinks, sir, I was the one who took the shot...I thought they were Beartics and you know how viscous they get up here."
"No hikers come this far up." the first soldier said to Jessie, ignoring him.

"I told you, we got lost! We just-"

James suddenly gasped and jerked upright, coughing harshly then fell back, shaking. Jessie held him tightly, pressing his hands on his wound and snarled, "Question me all you want but for heaven's sake help him!"

The captain finally sighed and motioned to the others, who swiftly lifted James off the snowy ground as they all hustled inside. Jessie started to follow him but the captain clapped a hand on her arm, "Oh no, miss. You're coming with me." Pulling off his hood and scarf to reveal a deeply scarred face, he cracked a bitter, humorless smile that was somehow colder than the weather outside. Jessie felt a chill run up her spine and suddenly wished she had kept a weapon after all...