Arty watched as Cornelius continued down the road to town, debating what to do himself. He wasn't ready to head home yet, and it didn't seem they'd be hanging out at his friend's house for the afternoon, but the tone of the morning hadn't fully sunk in. There was no wind in the safety of the cliff where he'd been left, but the cold still pricked at his face and hands in the lack of movement. He could stay there all day if he liked, but the quiet, vacant crossroads seemed lonely. After some thought, a new determination occurred. He could go to the lake, as they said they would that morning. Sure, he'd never been allowed to go alone, but he wouldn't be alone since the professor had gone that way. And even if he didn't run into them, he still had his newly acquired Pokemon he was eager to meet. His mind set, Arty quickly turned and began to march down the road.

This determined pace slowed down after a bit as trudging through the snow turned into a game of trying to match his stride into the footsteps ahead of him. "I bet Neil won't even go tomorrow." He puffed to himself as he went, "He says he needs some time to think, but knowing him, we'll be in town all week. Guess that won't be so bad. S'not like prof is planning to leave any time soon, right?" Although he could be wrong. "I'll just get in some training today, and let him know I'll do all the fighting on the way there. That's all that's holding him back; he's just a big fraidy-shinx."

The boy slowed down as he came to the clearing to the lake, giving a gander about the place uneasily. No sign of anyone, not even shoe prints as they disappeared off into the grass once more. He could try to go after them, but he turned his sights to the shrouded three line and felt his heart start to race. For how often he had come out here, he'd always had someone there to keep him from straying from the path along the lake. Winter was in full bloom as the larger oaks stood pale and barren, their tops so cluttered they appeared more like dandelions waiting to be blown away. Arty pulled out the Poke Ball from his coat pocket, and twisted it gently as he peered at the simple leaf symbol on its lid. The snow wasn't so heavy in the shadows of the brush, so he reasoned it to be safe enough to test things out. "Alright, buddy, let's do this!" He threw the Poke Ball straight in front of him and winced as it bounced off a nearby tree with a dull thwack. At first he half worried he broke it as it unleashed a flash of white light before falling to the ground. Perhaps the woods were a bad idea after all, but all concern quickly dispersed as he caught sight of the tiny Pokemon curled up beside the ball, a small brown and green lump trying to pose itself as some winter sprout. Arty sucked in his breath, trying to contain his excitement as he crept closer. "Is that a Turtwig? I think it is~!"

The Turtwig heard the human voice and slowly eased in his defensive stance. To be honest, he was growing a little more nervous of the strange surroundings than the bow. It was quiet, damp, and filled with strange noises as he gazed at the rattling of the canopy in some breeze they couldn't feel there below. The light falling of ice didn't seem to bode well either. "This is not the lab…. And I don't see the professor…" He gave a worried chirp at the trainer. "How did I get out here?"

Arty had been trying so hard not to startle the poor thing, but as it took note of him, he let out a slight squeak of his own. "This is so cool, I've never gotten to see one in real life before!" He dropped down on his knees in the fallen, frost bitten foliage, but paid it no mind as he held out his arms to coax the turtle to him.

"Tur twig!" The pokemon once again withdrew into his earthen shell as he braced against the sudden attack. … Or lack of attack as after a moment he peaked out again when it turned out the boy wasn't going to land on him. "Tur?"

Arty tried to keep his voice down this time as he lightly slapped his legs with his hands. "Come here. Come on~ I'm not gonna hurt ya." The Turtwig still seemed unsure about that, but cautiously made his way to him regardless. "Yeah, that's it. Come on, Twiggy. Twig, twig, twig~"

As "Twig" finally got close enough, he sat down and tried to paw at the boy's leg. Whether intentional or not, he had gotten used to the strange habit people seemed to have in picking him up to carry him. He may have been confused on a lot of things, but two things he understood was it was cold and he didn't want to walk. The boy beamed as he responded accordingly and went on to surprise Twig as he unzipped his jacket halfway and tucked him in. "Oh, it's so waaaarm." Twig gave a bit of a squeak as he nestled into the boy's arms.

Arty immediately looked down at his partner as an unexpected chill coursed through him. He could see the little one was cold but he never would have guessed a grass type to be so…. wet. Twig seemed so happy though as he settled in, letting the damp soil of his shell seep through his trainer's sweater, Arty didn't have the heart to move it. "I g-guess you don't like all this s-snow, huh?" He chattered as he carefully pushed himself to his feet. "M-maybe we'll just n-not do training today and see if we can find the p-professor. Take on anything we come across along the way."

Getting through the brush was easy. Slow, but easy, as there was hardly any snow on the ground. It still fell in clumps of powder on the pair as the pushed passed weighted branches though. Coming to the other side was a small clearing. No sign of the professor though, but there did seem to be some large mess of broken branches that extended down to the water's edge. A pair of wild Golduck stood on the other side, warily eying the intruders still some distance away. Arty stared back, almost scared to move, and slowly crept back into tree line. The Golduck didn't take their eyes off him, but crooned softly to each other as one turned back toward the water wanting to finish their nest. Twig seemed to relax as Arty made a beeline back the way they came. "You now what? New plan! How about we just stay to the path today and I'll just show you around. Neil and I come out here all the time, so you might as well learn about the lake too."

Even with the wind, it had gotten warmer since the sun had come back. The lake didn't look so bad either as the snow glistened in the daylight. Arty continued to walk the same clear cut path he always did, chatting away at his new friend about how he and Neil had memorized every nook and cranny to this route, and how much time they would be spending there once summer came again. The only thing to stop the pair was the realization that for the first time since winter had set in, Arty saw an unfamiliar figure on the lake shore. It had been a while since they had the chance to come by though, and as the man stood perfectly motionless as he stared over the water, Arty began to wonder if he was real. It was hard to tell from this distance other than the man appeared to be a very solid gray. His hair almost matched the ice trying to form on the water, his clothes covered all of him in some shade of dark or pale gray, and his face even seemed to have had all the color drained away at some point. He wasn't quite sure how to approach the stranger though as the closer he stepped, the more uneasy he felt about the proposal. At least he could see there was life to him, his thin face still retraining a rosy tint from the cold, and while he didn't move, there was still a thin cloud of vapor when he breathed. The man was in a uniform of some kind, but not one Arty had ever seen before. No bag or ranger pouch either. Perhaps he wasn't a trainer at all, but there was something about him, in his stance, in his gaze, just something that seemed like he should recognize from somewhere.

"Who's that?" Twig squeaked, causing Arty to tense up at the noise. Oddly, the stranger remained perfectly still, practically frozen near the rocks as he stared out over the icy water.

Arty placed a hand on the turtle's beak and softly tried to shush him. "I don't think we should bother him. Let's just go around, okay?"

"I know you are there."

Arty froze where he stood, slightly squeezing the Pokemon in his arms closer to him.

"I know you hear my voice. …Deep in your sleep at the bottom of the lake, you sense my presence. ….Hear me, Lake Guardian. My name is Cyrus. Learn it well, for soon you will be mine." The man seemed to wait for some kind of answer, but a heavy silence hung in the air with only the waves to ignore it. He cast a sideways glance at the boy staring at him, and finally turned to address him. "Do you, too, seek the legendary Pokemon of the lake?"

Arty stared back into his dull blue eyes, still unable to imagine him as anything more than some ghost or machine. Cyrus stood rigid and appeared undeterred until he received an answer. Unable to take the silence, Arty suddenly blurted out, "I wasn't trying to listen in on you or anything." The man seemed unfazed by the comment. The boy held up his pokemon, feigning innocence as he continued, "I'm just exploring the lake with my new friend. Are you a trainer, sir?"

Cyrus finally blinked at him but otherwise made no change. "I am. You admit you overheard me." His gaze scanned the boy over a moment before he continued, "It makes no difference. If so, you have been warned just the same. Now," he raised a hand and swung it out beside him to gesture the young intruder to move. "If you will excuse me."

Arty nodded and quickly stepped off the path to allow the man to pass; watching him carefully as he disappeared down the road toward the exit. He stood there for a while, still silent and full of thoughts in trying to figure out what just happened. Alone once more, he looked down at the Turtwig and let out a sigh of relief. "That was so weird!" His partner agreed with a firm cry. "I wonder what that was all about. I mean, I can promise you stuff like that doesn't happen around here… Like ever." He placed the pokemon on the path beside him and began to head for the exit as well. "Maybe that's a sign we should head home. Hm? How would you like to see your new home?"

Turtwig didn't respond as they were suddenly interrupted by a strange, high-pitched cry that reverberated over the water. The pair turned back, bewildered as they gazed over the empty shoreline. Arty felt his heart race as he began to bounce in place with the building excitement. "I've never heard that sound in my life! I'd bet money on it!" He glanced down at his partner, confirming he hadn't been the only one to hear the noise, and began to rush to the lake. He cupped his hands to his mouth and called out, "MESPRIT!~" This time his own cry echoed over the frosted waves, but there came no reply. Maybe he had offended it, but he was certain, so certain, that had to be it. That strange man had been talking to it, or so he said, but that should be impossible… Right? But why take the risk? "Mesprit is the guardian of the lake, didn't you know? We need to find it!"

Twig was uncertain of this being a good idea and began to paw at his shoe again. "Twi-i-ig!"

Arty thought maybe it wanted back up, the big baby. "I just wanna talk to it. Psychics can talk, right? I wonder if it's friendly..." He led the way down old trodden path once more; the tiny turtle toddled after him.

It would be some hours before the pair gave up the search, the boy finally concluding that it had to be in the water and here he was without a fishing pole. Neil had a water type though, so maybe since it had been a while he'd had enough time to cool off and come help.