A/N: I wrote this back in 2014 and I'm rewriting it just to gouge my growth lmao.
Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, and Nintendo. All characters mentioned belong solely to the aforementioned.
—And when he reached the very top, he saw a scary, mysterious boy with black hair, and a ghost white face!"
Kotone tilted her head to the side questioningly. Where did these stories even come from? She was sure none of these girls had ever even been to Mt. Silver because it was so dangerous.
"Then the boy looked at him, his eyes turned red and bloody and he disappeared like the wind." The girl narrating the story, Viola, said in a hushed voice. "So, Kotone, did you like my story?"
"It was great." answered Kotone with a lopsided grin. It was nice that the girls in Violet City were trying so hard to make her feel welcome. Kotone had recently defeated the champion for the second time, making her the champion of both Johto and Kanto.
Just to remind herself of her roots, she was touring the small cities of Johto and reliving what she'd missed out on after so much work. So far, it was safe to say she was well-received by the citizens and enjoying herself at the same time.
"I wonder if the story is true though." Janet, another young Violet City-born preteen, shuddered, "I bet he's really scary and creepy."
"Well...maybe he's just lonely."
When both Violet and Janet turned to look at her with a confused expression, Kotone knew she must have said something crazy. "Wha–?! Kotone, what are you talking about?"
"Think about it! If everyone keeps running away from him, maybe he's lonely and maybe that's why he ran to the very top of Mt. Silver in the first place!" She chirped, but seeing the look they pinned her with, she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, "Er, I mean, it's just a thought..."
"You're so cool, Kotone!" The two girls echoed in unison, praising her happily.
Of course being the champion got her some strange adoration that never shifted no matter what. Seriously, sometimes she thought that she could kick a Cleffa and they'd all defend her actions regardless.
...But the story really got Kotone thinking. While rumours were rumours, they had to have started somewhere.
And who was to say... maybe there really was a boy on top of Mt. Silver.
Kotone was prone to making impulsive decisions but none would top the one she was about to make. She was headed to Mt. Silver to debunk this rumour for herself.
It hadn't been easy to convince Professor Elm to give her the license to do so. He'd fretted profusely that she would hurt herself and never return. The poor man had seemed more likely to burst into tears than grant her that permission but eventually he caved.
Kotone resolved to proving the myth of the boy on the mountain to herself and to everyone around her. Not many of her friends thought it was that big of a deal; so what if some girls from Violet City thought a boy lived on top of the mountain? While it was no skin off her back, she was far too invested in it to turn back now.
"Wow, so you're really going to Mt. Silver?" wondered Gold with a snicker. "You gonna be okay?"
As their Pokémon played in harmony over the plains, the two trainers had opted to share a chat beneath the shade of a gentle oak tree in their quiet town of New Bark.
"I'll be fine." She beamed, "You know me!"
"Yeah, that's why I'm worried." He snorted, "Heard the temperatures can drop below absolute zero!"
She frowned. "Somehow, I reaaaally doubt that."
He offered a shrug. "Silver said it!"
"You shouldn't believe anything Silvy says! He just wants to scare you!"
"Why would he do that?!"
"Because you're so gullible!"
Gold stayed wisely silent. She took that as a sign that she'd won. Still, his worries were appreciated. She grinned. "Thanks, Gold."
Kotone was nervous to scale the cold mountain and actually reach its peak, but it was too late to turn back now. She was ready for anything.
Typhlosion narrowed his eyes at the falling snowflakes as he and his owner approached the entrance to Mt. Silver. He didn't like the cold or the way snow crunched under his feet when he walked.
Personally, he thought that coming here was dumb but sometimes Kotone had weird brainwaves that ended up being for the better. He'd stopped judging her lately. The warmth of Cianwood City or Olivine City was so much better than the cold... But as long as his flames burned bright, he was sure he'd fight off the shivers.
Kotone tugged on her jacket, flipping her hood up. "Here we are, Blitz. Are you ready for this?"
Blitz nodded his head in response, deigning her with a purr as she patted his head.
"Alright, let's go!" She cheered. And so, they plunged head-first into the icy Mt. Silver.
They soon found that scaling a mountain wasn't easy. In fact, it was downright difficult. There were tons of entrances and exits made by other trainers all over the place that only led to dead ends and sadness. The higher they went, the colder it got.
Mt. Silver seemed like it could go on forever. But they weren't about to be deterred.
Typhlosion nestled his head closer to Kotone as she puffed up her cheeks in frustration after stopping to knock off some snow from the bottom of her boots. "We'll get to the top in no time." She said decisively, smiling sheepishly when she nearly slipped on a patch of ice. "Onwards!"
Still, they didn't lose their zeal for the longest while. It wasn't until certain areas of the mountain began looking eerily similar to others that they were beginning to suspect something was up.
Kotone skidded to a stop, "We've already been here!" She groaned, "I'm so sorry, Blitz! I think we're really lost this time."
They hadn't just started exploring just like that. In fact, she'd even made a map to detail where they were going as they walked.
...And then the ink in the pen froze up and that idea was scrapped.
"...Ty!" Blitz's spine blazed and he angrily smashed the large boulder in the center of the cavern to bits. They'd circled that same boulder so many times and it was just infuriating to look at.
As the boulder smashed into hundreds of pieces, Kotone found herself staring into a large hole, large enough for one to jump down to and it led to solid ground. An unexplored area.
"Nice work, Blitz!" She grinned, clapping. "We gotta use your anger more often."
Blitz lifted his chin, brimming with pride as he followed Kotone down. As soon as their feet touched the bottom, a rope ladder against a slab of rock pointed them in a new direction. They were finally on the right track.
"Ohhh, I'm so tired." muttered Kotone, finally resting her aching legs as she sat down on a flat rock. It had been non-stop travel for the longest while.
Blitz followed her, letting the bright flames on his back dwindle as he rested. She offered him a handful of berries which he was happy to take from her.
Kotone took a sip of water, "...I wonder how long we have until we get to the top." The thought of reaching the peak and proving to everyone that it was possible made her giddy. She sprung to her feet, rejuvenated "Let's keep going!"
They surged forward, filled with newfound courage to brave the cold temperatures of Mt. Silver. It was desolate and barren, and as night fell, she was more than able to see where its urban legends could derive from.
Meeting the boy from the legends made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. It'd be so terrifying if she happened to see him. Would she even live to tell the tale? She wasn't getting very good reception to say that she could call Gold and tell him to draft her a will. He wasn't good at stuff like that anyways. Silver was a better choice.
Typhlosion stared at her from the corner of his eye. His trainer was just so weird. He didn't even want to know what she was so deep in thought about.
Kotone suddenly snickered, clearing her throat when he blinked at her expectantly. "Sorry, sorry. Just thinking about bothering Silver at..." She checked her pokégear, "9 at night."
Blitz shook his head. A bad idea. That red-headed guy was more irritable at night than he was usually. He didn't want to take any chances.
From here on out, there weren't many forks in the road to confuse them. She gestured to the boulder blocking their path and Blitz was more than ready to break it into pieces. Left in its place was an exit. She exchanged a look with him and nodded.
Finally. As soon as they stepped out of the cavern, they were assaulted by the biting wind of Mt. Silver's peak. It wasn't usually this cold, but this was the peak. Maybe Gold was right about that absolute zero temperature. She recalled Typhlosion back into his ball and braved the cold by herself. She didn't want him to contract any illnesses that only the Pokémon Centre could heal.
Snow crunched beneath her boots as she ascended, finding the actual peak of the mountain. Her brows knitted with concentration as she focused on keeping her feet planted on the ground. The wind was far stronger than she'd expected. A makeshift staircase led to the very top. As she climbed, she felt worry pool in the pit of her stomach.
She squinted and her heart skipped a beat.
There was someone there.
Kotone took a hesitant step back, just as the figure turned towards her.
It was a boy and just like Viola had said. He had black hair, a pale face, and blood red eyes. His hair was caked in snowflakes, but he didn't seem all that...scary. It was just the circumstances that terrified her. No person could live up here. He was a ghost.
Upon seeing her, his eyes widened and then softened. But he didn't do anything else but stand there quietly.
Doing the only plausible thing she could think of, Kotone shrieked.
:)
